The Outsider
by GSKashmir
Summary: There's a new person in Beach City who nobody seems to know. Steven is put off at first, but wants to know more. He follows her and what he sees breaks his heart. Even though he probably shouldn't talk to strangers, this one needs his help more than most people could understand. [Trigger warning: Suicide, Depression]
1. Chapter 1: Apart Breakfast

**AN: This is my first fic in a looooooong time. Like 10 years probably. But I've never been as enamored with a show as I am currently with Steven Universe, I had to come back to it. I don't know if this is any good, in all likelihood, I've lost my touch, but I figured let's give it a shot anyway. Here's the first chapter of "The Outsider."**

Steven walked out of the bathroom after completing his usual morning routine; Brushing his teeth, showering, changing into his signature star shirt, cleaning his ears, and trimming his nails, in that order. This was about the only thing predictable about Steven. As he walked into the living room, he saw that Amethyst had already taken over his bed to play video games, Garnet was lounging on the sofa with her arms crossed, and Pearl was making him breakfast. He smiled and shouted "Good morning everyone!"

Garnet responded first. "Hello Steven. Enjoy the Big Donut." Steven, chuckling, replied, "Garnet, I can smell Pearl cooking right now. You're not losing your touch, are you?" he smiled at her. She stared at him for a few seconds and said, deadpan, "No."

From up the stairs, Amethyst shouted down to him. "Hey Steven! I buried pitfalls all around your town, beat up some animals with a bug net, and trampled on a flower garden. You were right, this game is awesome!" Steven frowned. "Amethyst, come on! It took me weeks to get those blue roses to bloom!" She chuckled. "Well it only took me a few minutes to get 'em to wilt"

Sighing at the loss of his virtual botanical efforts, he walked into the kitchen to see Pearl hard at work on the sink. She was shoving something down into the drain. "Morning Pearl!" he said excitedly, staring at the eggs and sausage cooking on the stove. "Oh Steven! Good morning! I have your breakfast cooking, but I need to clear this clog in the garbage disposal. It's filled with all sorts of nastiness and isn't functioning properly." Amethyst laughed again from her place in front of the tv. "Sorry, P! That's probably my bad." Pearl huffed and took the wooden spoon she was using out of the sink. "I think it should work now," she said, flipping the switch for the garbage disposal.

As soon as she did, a small explosion of putrid smelling foulness came flying out of the drain. It all flew out to the side, covering the stove and everything that was cooking on it. Pearl shut the disposal off immediately and froze for several seconds, during which it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. After the initial shock wore off, she screamed. First in horror at the rotten meat and fish that covered her and the kitchen, and then in frustration at Amethyst.

"AMETHYST! I've told you repeatedly to only use the garbage disposal for garbage, not for fun! Look what you did to this place!" Amethyst laughed and yelled back, "Oh come on, Pearl, we both know you love cleaning it up anyway, what does it matter?! Just do another one of your Pearl spring cleaning sessions, it will be fine in no time!" Pearl looked furious. "Spring cleaning is for SPRING! IT'S OCTOBER! And on top of that, now Steven's breakfast is ruined!"

That actually made Amethyst apologetic. "Ouch... Sorry, Stee-man, I know you're hungry." Steven, who narrowly avoided being covered in moldy, slimy meat, merely stared at Garnet, unblinking. Garnet stared back, uncrossed her arms, and shot him two finger guns.

Steven shook his head slowly, still staring at Garnet. "It's ah... It's ok." He broke eye contact and walked to the door, grabbing his pink hoodie. "I'm heading to the Big Donut then," he said as Pearl and Amethyst continued their verbal fisticuffs. "I'll be back in a few minutes!" Amethyst's ears perked up when she heard that and decided it would be best if she left the house for a little bit. "Wait up! I'll walk you out!" She ran after him as Pearl started shouting after her, but she didn't care to subject herself to more of Pearl's nagging and ranting. They didn't have the best relationship most of the time. She got through the door just in time for Pearl to realize that chasing after her was a fruitless endeavor, and she and Steven started off along the beach.

Steven looked kind of upset. He didn't like when his family fought, and it seemed to happen a lot lately. He wished he could get everyone to get along, but things in life aren't so easy. He knew it wasn't something he could force to happen, it would have to play out on its own. Amethyst, on the other hand, was just happy to get out of the house. She couldn't stand the way Pearl made her feel most of the time. While she shared the same feelings as Steven about the relationship between everyone in the beach house, her pride made it hard for her to let things slide so easily. She didn't like conflict, and that usually left her with two options; either avoid it altogether, or attack it head on, the latter of which made things worse most of the time.

"So Steven," Amethyst began to ask, "What do you have planned today? Anything exciting? Gonna visit Funland, or have Connie come over, or something?" Steven thought to himself for a moment, making an audible hum to signify this, before saying "Well not really… I wasn't even planning on going to the Big Donut until breakfast at home was taken off the table. Literally." He let out a nervous laugh, hoping Amethyst wouldn't think he was trying to hurt her feelings. She chuckled in return, putting Steven's fears at ease. "Heh, yeah, sorry about that. But hey, the Big Donut's not so bad. Besides, you love getting to see Lars and Sadie. And I know they like to see you too! Well, Sadie does, anyway… I dunno about that Lars kid. But after that, there's nothing going on?" Steven checked the time, though he didn't really need to. He only just woke up, so it was still early morning. Still a lot of time left in the day. He replied, "Nothing I can think of. Why, do you have any ideas?" Amethyst smiled. "Well, I was thinking about stopping by the nerd's place. Her art isn't as good as Vidalia's, but it still is fun to look at. I know last time I was a sour-puss about everything, but that toilet piece was actually kind of cool. I kind of… Well, I want to make up for how I behaved last time. Peridot and Lapis were getting along, making art. It's not traditional art, but they found something that made them happy. And I maybe stomped on their passion a little bit… I don't want them to feel like they're wasting their time with it, you know?"

Steven stared at Amethyst, his mouth agape. "Amethyst… Does this mean you care about them?" Amethyst looked at him blushing, her dilated pupils meeting the gaze of his star filled eyes. "What? Psh, no, I just… I mean, we're their uhm… I want to be a good ambassador for Earth! Yeah, that's it!" Steven continued to grin, seeing through her lie. And that was enough for her. "Ok, Steven, uh, I'm gonna head there now actually! Come on by when you get breakfast, I'm sure they'd love to see you!" She said all of this while running in the direction of the barn. Steven wasn't able to reply in time. He continued smiling, shrugged, and kept walking toward the boardwalk.

As Steven approached one of his favorite restaurants, he whistled and talked to himself, trying to work out a decent melody. "Maybe a Cmaj7 into an Fmaj7, then from there I could do an E7... Wait, this is familiar..." but before he could work out where he recognized those chords, he noticed a dark figure walking into the Big Donut. "Odd... I don't usually see anyone else eating there but me. Busy day for Lars and Sadie I guess."

When he reached the door, he saw the dark figure talking to Sadie. He came in just in time to hear the end of a conversation. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but that's just not enough money," Sadie told the stranger. "Usually I would just give you a couple on the house, but with how business has been, management is keeping tabs on everything. I could lose my job." She frowned, truly sad for the person who was short on cash. "It's ok... I'll figure something out..." a small, feminine voice said. Steven correctly attributed the voice to the dark figure he was slightly wary of.

The woman turned around and she and Steven made eye contact briefly. She was wearing a black hoodie with a design on it. The design was a triangle with a rainbow coming out of one side. Steven thought he saw it in his dad's record collection before. But the hoodie was in bad shape. Covered in dirt, not washed in weeks. Her pants were no better, torn on one knee and taped up with duct tape on the ankle of the other leg. Her shoes were also taped. They used to be red canvas shoes, but they were mostly just gray tape. Steven frowned and wondered if there was any actual shoe left.

The woman noticed Steven examining her and her lips started trembling. She left the restaurant very quickly, running past Steven before he could get a word in. He yelled after her, "Hey wait! I can..." he trailed off as she left earshot. "Help..." he finished. He sighed and walked up to the counter. "Sadie, what was all that about?" he asked, downtrodden. Sadie looked up from the counter she was staring at. "Oh, hey Steven. Yeah, that was kind of strange. She came in with 75 cents or so and wanted a donut. But the cheapest thing on the menu is $1.49. I wanted to help, but with the tourists leaving for the fall, management is making sure we don't lose any money to small gestures like the one I wanted to do. It's a shame, really... I don't recognize her. I think she might be homeless. Good thing Lars skipped work today, he probably would have made her feel a heck of a lot worse." Steven's eyes widened with every word Sadie said. "That's terrible! I... I have to help somehow. And considering what I have at my disposal, I think I know just the way to do it! Sadie, get me a dozen, no... A BAKER'S dozen of donuts! I'm gonna find her!" He put on his serious Steven face, which Sadie picked up on. "Aye aye, captain." she said, saluting and smiling, before she started packing a box of donuts.

Sam had arrived in Beach City only a few days ago with pennies to her name. She had hiked and hitched her way into town all the way from Keystone. Beach City wasn't her first choice of destination, merely her most recent one. She tried Empire City first, but the winter was too harsh. Charm City came next, but it was dangerous. She made her way to Beach City thinking that she would have a better time there, but she neglected to take into account that people usually only go there for the summer. It was a tourist trap, and there were no more tourists who were willing to put pocket change into her cup. The boardwalk was devoid of any crowds, and she only managed to get her hands on two quarters, three nickels, and a dime, and those were coins she dug around for. Sam hoped it was enough for something, but every place she went to had tourist trap prices. She couldn't even find a cheap vending machine for a candy bar. Her search for food brought her to the Big Donut. All she got there was glared at by a local child in a pink hoodie.

The encounter at the Big Donut made her come to the conclusion that no matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to find food in this town. Certainly not with what little money she had. She made a conscious decision about a dilemma she had brewing in her mind ever since Charm City. She chose the alternative to dying of starvation.

She rounded a few corners, ducking into an alleyway, and came to her makeshift home. It was comprised of a flattened cardboard box, a tarp held up like a tent with some driftwood, a cassette player with one tape that had been rewound and played so much that it barely sounded like music anymore, a small stuffed polar bear that looked as dirty as she did, and a blue box cutter with an elongated razor blade that she used for protection. These were all she had. The only possessions Sam owned. But they meant the world to her.

She crawled into her tent and sat up with her back against the wall of a building. She clutched one item with each of her hands. In her left, she held her stuffed polar bear. "Iggy..." she said, her voice catching, "Iggy I'm sorry... But I can't find any food. It's been days since I've eaten and I can't take this pain. I love you more than I ever loved anything in this world. I didn't want things to turn out this way, but I don't have any other options... Nobody wants us around, nobody wants to help us... So I'm doing this. For us..." In Sam's right hand was her blue box cutter. She rolled up her sleeves and extended the blade. Sam dug the razor into her left wrist. She sliced length-wise, right up her arm and let the blood drain out onto the cardboard mat beneath her. She hugged Iggy with what strength she had left. Her ears started ringing and she knew it was almost over. As her vision faded, she could just barely make out the image of a little boy with a pink hoodie.

Steven left the Big Donut with no clue where exactly he was going. He pondered for a moment as he stared down the shoreline. He and Sadie couldn't be the only people to have seen her. Today was his lucky day, he thought, as he saw Buck and Sour Cream rounding a corner in his direction.

"Buck! Sour Cream!" he yelled, running toward them. He kept the box of donuts against his chest, making sure to not crush them or let them fall out. Buck and Sour Cream stared at him, hands in their pockets. "Hey Universe," said Buck in his trademark monotone voice. "You look like you're in a hurry. You delivering donuts on the clock now?" Steven chuckled a little bit as he tried to catch his breath from the sprint he broke out in. "No no… Nothing… Like that…" He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "These donuts are for someone I saw earlier. I don't know who she is, but she looked sad. She couldn't afford any of these, so I thought I'd surprise her." Sour Cream looked impressed. "Wow, Steven. That's really generous of you. Usually people only chase after someone if they're going to hurt them. This is like, a whole new way to interact with someone. I can rave to that… Do you know what she looked like? Maybe we could point you in the right direction.

Steven described the girl he saw at the Big Donut. The detail that stood out, however, was her hoodie. "Oh man, the chick with the Floyd hoodie? Yeah! Me and Buck saw her duck into an alley down the road a bit. Go past Beach Citywalk Fries and make a right. She went back behind the place. Hope you find her, little roadie dude." Steven smiled. "Thanks guys! I gotta run! These donuts are gonna get cold, and nobody likes a cold donut as much as a warm one." He dashed off, leaving the two cool kids behind. He would have to join them on an adventure some other time. He had a mission he had to accomplish.

Ten minutes or so had come and gone since Steven started from the Big Donut. He arrived at the fry shop and waved hello to Peedee as he passed by. Peedee didn't look up from the newspaper he was reading. But Steven couldn't stop. No time for bits now. He found himself in an alleyway he'd never been down before. He thought it looked like no one had been down there in years. But he put on a brave face. The worst he could find would be a gem monster, and they usually make a lot of commotion, giving some warning beforehand. No, the only thing back here would be a hungry girl who would appreciate some donuts. And he was mostly right.

"Uhhh, excuse me? Miss?" He asked the question and got no response. He continued down the alley. "It's me, Steven! Oh wait, you don't know my name… My name's Steven! I saw you at the Big Donut and felt bad that you couldn't afford any donuts, so I brought you some myself! Hello…?" He would receive no answer. He proceeded to walk to the end of the alleyway until he came across a dead end. All he saw was a pile of junk in a corner and a tarp over it. Right before he turned to leave, he spotted a duct-tape covered canvas shoe poking out from under the tarp. He smiled and walked over to the tarp. Steven poked his head in, and immediately the donuts were ruined. He dropped the box. But that didn't matter now. All that mattered was helping the sad, dirty, blood drenched girl who was dying in front of him.

Steven began panicking. "Ahhhh! What… Why? Who would… Did she… to herself? Just calm down… You can help her. She is going to be ok. I hope…" He crawled under the tarp and licked his hand. He closed his eyes and placed his saliva covered fingers on the girl's wrist. He kept his eyes closed for a couple seconds before he was brave enough to peek. To his amazement, it worked. The gash had already stopped bleeding and was closing up. It looked like the broken skin was clawing its way back to its original location. Before he knew it, scar tissue had formed over top of the wound. He smiled, but was soon brought back down when he saw that she was still unconscious. He thought quickly, putting his hand underneath the girl's nose. She was breathing. Barely, but it was still there.

Steven looked around at the grizzly scene beneath him. He thought for a moment, wondering what to do. He couldn't leave the poor girl here. She would wake up and probably try it again. Maybe he could take her to the temple. But he wasn't sure Pearl or Garnet would let her stay very long before they kicked her out and she was back to square one. Finally it hit him: The barn. Lapis and Peridot were both learning how to live on Earth. That sounds just like what this girl needs. Amethyst was there, but she was a lot more easygoing than his other two guardians. She might even understand.

Steven picked up the walkman, the bear, and then the girl. He carried her over his shoulder, not having the necessary height to do otherwise. In a flash, he sped off to meet his friends.


	2. Chapter 2: Blankets and Boomboxes

Though he was incredibly winded, Steven made it to the barn. He couldn't use the warp at the temple to get any closer, due to the other gems being there, or use his jumping powers to get there, as the current situation made it very difficult for him to have any kind of joyful thoughts. But he made it. And, he figured, more importantly, so did the girl. She was still breathing, but that didn't help the fact that she was out like a light. Steven was just glad his healing powers didn't fail him today, or this situation might have been a lot worse.

He made it through the barn door and had enough energy to set the girl and her belongings gently on the ground before he fell over, exhausted. For a brief moment, Steven wondered where Lion was. If he were around, the three of them could have gotten to the barn a lot faster and with much less effort. But there was no reason to think about it any longer. The past was the past, and the present had much more pressing predicaments to attend to.

Steven made enough commotion when entering the barn that the three other gems, who were currently taking a tour of the small art museum that had started to form inside the structure, all turned immediately to see what the noise was. They had all expected Steven to end up there sooner or later, but they didn't expect him to bring a guest. And certainly not one in this condition.

"Steven?" the gems all questioned in unison, some with concern, others with curiosity. They gathered around the two newcomers, trying to make sense of everything. But the obvious way to answer the burning questions they had was to just ask Steven. So Peridot, with little tact, went first. "Steven, why did you bring this disheveled human into the barn along with a collection of… Garbage? Also, why are you so deprived of energy? Did something happen?" Her eyes widened. "IS HOMEWORLD ATTACKING?!" She quickly ran to close the barn door, but as soon as she put the bar in place to keep it shut, Steven had gathered enough of his breath back to answer. "No no! It's… Ok… But it's not… Exactly… Hold on..." He took several more breaths before he sat up and composed himself enough to tell them the story. His composure did not last long, however, as he launched into a flurry of panicked run-on sentences.

"I went to the Big Donut, and there was this girl who couldn't afford donuts and that made her sad so she left in a hurry but I didn't want her to go hungry especially since Sadie said she was probably homeless so I got a box of donuts and went to go find her but when I did find her she had been cut really bad on her wrist and I used my healing spit to try and fix it which worked but I think she maybe did it to herself and I have so many questions but I just want to help her and I didn't want Pearl or Garnet to just tell me 'Steven, you can't just bring homeless people in off the street' so I brought her here because the hospital wouldn't know what to do with my healing spit and I didn't know how else to help and now I need to breathe again." Steven finished his tale with a deep breath of air. The poor kid was going to hyperventilate if he wasn't careful.

"Woah Steven, slow down…" said Lapis, trying to make sense of everything Steven just told them all. "Ok so… You said she cut herself? Do you mean like, an accident?" Steven frowned and shook his head. "So she did it on purpose? But why would someone do that…? They could die." Amethyst had a dour expression. One that said she had seen things like this before. "Lapis… That's the idea. I think maybe I can explain…"

Amethyst walked over to the unconscious girl and fished around for a wallet or something in her pockets. As she did, she began to explain. "So you know how Earth is like, a place where you're free to be whoever you want to be? Live however you want to live?" The green and blue gems both nodded. Steven lay on the ground, watching the girl in the "Floyd hoodie," as Sour Cream had called it, for any signs that she was waking up. "Well," Amethyst continued, "There's a bad side to that… See, we can live however we want because we're gems. We don't need food, we don't need sleep, we don't even need to breathe. But humans do. And younger humans are provided with food and shelter by a parent or guardian, like me, Garnet, and Pearl all do with Steven. But we can only do this because Greg has money and pays for our stuff. Without money, you can't have any of that."

The gems still looked confused. Even Steven was a bit lost, though to be fair, he was concentrating on other things. Amethyst took a breath and tried to make more sense. "So money comes from having a job. You do things for someone else in exchange for money. You use that money to spend on food, shelter, even fun things sometimes. In a way, we are more free than the humans who live here because we don't need all these things that they do. This girl doesn't have a Greg like we do. And considering how she looks, she doesn't have a job like Greg does to be able to afford her human needs. She probably hasn't had any of these needs met for a very long time..." She finally found what she was digging around in the girl's pockets for. She pulled out a wallet, which was empty, save for a Keystone driver's license. It had expired a few years prior, and it gave away some vital pieces of information about the stranger.

"This girl's name is Samantha Lynch. She's 22. Older than Steven by about 8 years. This license expired a few years ago, so I'd guess she's been surviving on her own for a while." She was silent for a few moments after that, hoping that she had gotten the idea across. Peridot decided to take a stab at summarizing.

"Amethyst, I think I understand. This 'Samantha Lynch' has the same needs that other humans have. Food, shelter, compassion, money, et cetera. But, as you said, her needs have not been met for quite some time. And she reached a point where living in squalor in derelict alleyways sounded worse than just… Not living at all… This is a sad thought to have. I would liken it to living with a cracked gem. After so many years in that broken state, one would wish that they were shattered instead."

Lapis had turned around at that last statement Peridot made. Her arms wrapped around her sides. She knew too well the feeling of being cracked and wishing she were shattered. The mirror she was trapped in kept her in that state for thousands of years.

Steven was on the verge of crying, but his "serious Steven" face hadn't faltered. He had taken on a mission, one that the gems didn't put him on. One he had taken for himself. It was his mission to make sure Samantha Lynch was going to live. Truly live. His was truly a heart filled with enough love for everyone. "What can we do for her, Amethyst?" he said, keeping his eyes on the girl on the floor.

Amethyst thought for a minute or two before coming up with some semblance of a plan. "Steven, I need you to run to the store. Get food, lots of it. Drinks too. Pretend you're Pearl and do the kind of grocery shopping she would do. Then bring it all back here." Steven looked kind of distraught at this notion. "Steven," Amethyst continued, "I know you don't want to leave her side, but this will help a lot more than just sitting around staring at her, trust me. More importantly, trust us. The three of us will be here when she wakes up. So don't you worry." Steven finally nodded and got up. "I'll be back quickly." he unbarred the door and took off. Amethyst watched him go, and was relieved to see a pink shape running after him in the distance. _Lion will help…_ She thought to herself. She turned her attention to the other two gems.

"OK, you two. Search the barn for clothes. Warm ones. Pajamas, sweaters, heck, even blankets will work. The more flannel, the better. I know you might have to wreck some of your… what do you call them again? Meepmorps? But this is important." Lapis and Peridot stared at each other for a moment. They'd never known Amethyst to take charge of a situation like this before. It made Peridot swoon, though she did her best to keep her composure. She wouldn't admit it, but seeing this side of Amethyst made her feel strange in a way that wasn't all too unwelcome. Amethyst had gotten impatient, however.

"Don't just stand there, come on! Get things ready, or when she comes to, she'll freak out. We want her to feel welcome after this, not scared. She needs to feel safe." With those words from the lilac colored gem, they all got to work. Amethyst, however, stayed with Samantha Lynch. She stroked her hair softly. She kept muttering the phrase "Everything is going to be ok." One might assume she was saying it to the human girl, but that was only half true. She was also saying it to herself.

About two hours had passed and everything had been taken care of. Steven returned with Lion and pulled all the groceries out of his friend's mane. The pocket universe Lion had always came in handy in unexpected ways. The gems had also been busy. Peridot and Lapis came through in a big way. They found flannel shirts from the 90s, boots that matched Samantha Lynch's shoe size, enough blankets and pillows to keep the whole town warm, and even a mattress. It was an air mattress, however, but a mattress nonetheless. Amethyst even shapeshifted into a bellows in order to fill it. It made her a bit winded, but she seemed too wrapped up in everything to care about how she felt. While everything else was going on, Amethyst was also hard at work. With the clothes they found, she changed Samantha into a flannel shirt that was three sizes too big. It worked well as pajamas. Once the bed was inflated, she tucked the human in, keeping her warm. She even found a radio that might help break the strange, awkward silence that permeated throughout the barn during this whole ordeal.

"So," Amethyst began, "this is where it gets difficult for us. We have to wait. We've done all we can, she has to come back on her own. So until she does, we have to keep an eye on her… I guess we're having a sleepover." Steven's eyes filled with stars. "Sleepover! Yay! This is gonna be awesome!" Peridot looked confused. "Sleep over what? Why are we sleeping on top of something? What would that help?" Amethyst offered a fake smile as Steven excitedly explained sleepovers to the two homeworld gems. She didn't want Steven, or anyone for that matter, see how worried she actually was. Which is why she was glad she found the radio. It would take her mind off everything. She fiddled with it until she started hearing static. It worked, surprisingly. Sure, it was an ancient boombox that still had a slot for tapes, but it would get the job done. She turned the station knob, scanning for decent music.

The radio crackled with life. "...listening to W-ACK, The Wack! Stay tuned for…" Amethyst hated that station, it was all just talk radio. She continued searching. "...repent for your sins before an angry…...tropical storm in the south east heading for Charm Ci-... _I can't help it if I make a scene, stepping out from my hot pink_ …" Amethyst sighed. Nothing worth listening to. But she had an idea. She walked over to where Samantha's belongings were piled up. She finally got a close look at everything. The bear that was stained red. She immediately put that in the bed with Miss Lynch. She was going to need as much comfort as possible. The box cutter. She didn't want to look at it, so she shoved it aside. Finally, the tape player. She smiled and popped it open, pulling out a tape with the word "Tallahassee" printed on it in white. She moved back to the boom box and put the tape in. It started playing with poor quality, but it was still listenable. She could just make out a faint bass line when the acoustic guitar kicked in. Then a strange voice began the story. " _Window facing an ill kept front yard. Plums on the tree heavy with nectar. Prayers to summon the destroying angel. Moon stuttering in the sky like film stuck in a projector. And you. You_." The words danced out of the speakers like a waltz of melancholy. This wasn't something Amethyst had heard before. She didn't hate it. In fact, she quite liked it. A man with a voice that shouldn't sound good singing about this very personal story. It was music that made her think, which is what art, in her opinion, should make you do. " _The road this far can't be retraced. There is no punchline anybody can tack on. There are loose ends by the score. What did I come down here for? You_." Amethyst was completely taken by this strange combination of this man putting his thoughts out there so candidly and the artistic way in which it was presented. She was so enraptured that she almost didn't notice the girl in the bed only a few yards away was stirring from her slumber.


	3. Chapter 3: First Few Desperate Hours

" _And we try to keep our spirits high. But they flag and they wave when the truck pulls up out front in the light spring rain, and they sag like withering flowers. Let the good times roll on through these first few desperate hours."_

Sam slowly regained her consciousness. At first she thought that death was just an eternity of blackness and silence. But as she began to hear those familiar lyrics, she started to think that there was more to it. Her eyes opened and were met with a wooden roof above her. She was confused, frightened even, but she felt Iggy next to her. That small bear that helped keep her together all these years. Her best friend. She squeezed him close to her. She started slowly looking around, her eyes drawn to the source of the music she loved so much. What she saw confused her further. There was a small purple gnome like being sitting in front of the tape deck that was playing the music. Beyond her were two other strangely colored beings and a small child. They all looked like they were deep in conversation until eye contact was made with the green one who was the only figure that was actually facing her direction.

"Samantha Lynch is awake." Peridot said casually. Immediately everybody turned to look at her. This was not a good thing for Sam to see, because she assumed she was about to be attacked. She sat up in the bed and started frantically searching for her box cutter and finding nothing. But a soothing, albeit slightly raspy voice rang out. "Hey, relax. We aren't going to hurt you, nobody wants to do anything to you. Just take it easy, you've been through a lot." It was the purple one with the white tank top. Sam stared at her, becoming aware of how quickly she was breathing. After a few silent minutes Sam finally spoke.

"So… Am I dead? Is this… Y'know, the place you go?" Peridot spoke up again. "No, Samantha Lynch, you are currently situated in a barn belonging to Greg Universe, and by extension, your savior, Steven Universe." She gestured to the small boy who was staring at her with very sad eyes. Steven, as she had learned was his name, stood up and ran over to her. He leapt through the air and onto the bed and just started hugging her. This made Sam very uneasy, but she didn't stop him. She actually put an arm around him. It was then that she noticed the large red stain on her wrist and the scar underneath it. "Oh… Yeah…" was all she could get out before she put her other arm around Steven. She no longer questioned the hug, instead welcoming it, resting her head on top of Steven's.

" _Your love is like a cyclone in a swamp, and the weather's getting warmer."_ That line caught Amethyst off guard. That whole song did. It made her think of Pearl and Garnet. How their relationship had started to turn sour. But she shook her head. No time for being miserable now. Someone else was already doing that right in front of her.

"You've been out for about 4 hours," Amethyst began, as the tape deck started singing something about houses in disrepair and fabulous prizes. "Steven saw you at the Big Donut. He wanted to bring you a box of donuts, but he found you covered in your own blood in an alley. He healed you before you were gone completely, so you passed out instead of away."

Sam let go of Steven and held up a hand. "Wait, what do you mean he healed me? Did he have a first aid kit handy or something?" Steven finally let go of Sam. "Uhm…" he began. "Have you ever heard of gems?" Sam nodded slowly. "I think so? They're just a myth though, a conspiracy or something." Steven shook his head and showed his naval gem. Sam stared at it in awe before looking to the others. Amethyst smiled and pulled her tank top down slightly to reveal her quartz crystal. Peridot merely pointed at her forehead and Lapis turned around and showed off her teardrop on her back.

" _I speak in smoke signals and you answer in code. The fuse will have to run out sometime. Something here will eventually have to explode, have to explode._ " The tape had continued on as the gems explained to Sam the details of gems and their powers. She wasn't entirely convinced she was still alive, but it didn't matter. She was enjoying herself. These strangers were showing off for her. Steven had his shield and bubble, Peridot was ecstatic to show off her metal powers, Amethyst shapeshifted into an owl and flew around the barn, and Lapis spread her water wings and chased the purple owl around the barn. For the first time in years, a smile crept across the face of Samantha Lynch.

"It's just Sam, by the way," she explained to Peridot who continued to call her by her full first and last name up until just now. "Er, alright. Sam it is," said the green gem. "As enjoyable as this has been, Sam, I think we deserve some answers. If only so we may be able to further aid you." Lapis did not like the way Peridot phrased that. "Ugh, Peridot, you can't just force her to do that. If she wants to talk, she can, but don't make her feel obligated to do anything." Peridot looked upset. "Lapis, calm down, I wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, I was merely suggesting that Sam tell us all she can so we can help her. That's what all of this is for, right? Or are you just going to fly off the handle for no good reason yet again? You know, a trademark Lazuli temper tantrum." Lapis glared at Peridot menacingly, but Peridot glared right back. Amethyst stood up and walked over next to Peridot, saying "Come on you two, knock it off, not now." Sam didn't want anything to start, so she started talking.

"Both of you are right. Peridot, was it? I should explain. You've all treated me with more compassion than I've received since I was 12. The least I could do is tell you what brought me here. And you, uh… never told me your name…" Lapis looked over and flatly just said "I'm Lapis Lazuli." Sam smiled. "That's a pretty name. Lapis, you were right too. As helpful as you've all been, it's very uncomfortable for me to talk about what happened. I'm not quite sure I even remember all the details. I'm so hungry, I'm not even sure I would be able to tell everything."

Steven interjected, "Oh right! I went grocery shopping! Guys, if she wants to talk, why not do it over some dinner! I got some grocery store rotisserie chicken! Come on, let's dig in before it gets cold! Well… _Colder_ anyway." The other gems appeared to ease up some at that notion. Sam stumbled out of bed, but Amethyst rushed over to help her in her weakened state.

"It's ok, fam, I got you. Just lean on me, you'll be better in no time." Sam did as she was instructed and after walking a few feet over to a table that Steven had set up, she was sat down in front of a plate of chicken breast with white bread and a bottle of water. Some would argue that it's not a very good meal, but to Sam, it was a feast. She immediately dug in, forgoing all manners she may have learned about when she was younger. The other gems sat around her, though only Steven would eat with her with his own plate.

As she finished, she sat back, satisfied. "That was absolutely delicious… Thank you all so much. I've never been treated like this by anybody… And by aliens no less! It's all so surreal. You sure this isn't Heaven?" Her joke seemed kind of dark. The gems frowned, except Amethyst who cracked a smile. "Not Heaven," Amethyst said, "but Beach City is the next best thing. Especially when you roll with the Crystal Gems." Sam was grinning with something she hadn't felt in quite some time; excitement for the future.

" _What will I do when I don't have you? When I finally get what I deserve?"_ the tape continued to play. Sam finally realized what was playing. "Hey… Hey, this is my tape!" Amethyst frowned. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone through your stuff, but you were out cold and I thought that maybe your music would-" Sam cut her off. "Amethyst, it's ok. Really. I just didn't think anybody else liked The Mountain Goats. John Darnielle doesn't have a voice for everyone." Amethyst smiled, relieved that there were no hard feelings, but then looked puzzled. "Wait, how did you know my name? Nobody said it since you woke up…" Sam shrugged. "Call it a hunch. I mean with the exception of Steven, you're all named after your gems. You're purple, just like your gem, but a pale kind of purple. So you struck me as an amethyst. Looks like I was right." Sam had helped herself to another plate of chicken before walking over to the tape deck. Amethyst followed as the other gems talked with each other.

"How does he do it?" Amethyst asked. "How does he write things like this? It's so raw, so real…" Sam chuckled slightly. "I wish I knew. Maybe then I would have my own albums out. Maybe I wouldn't be homeless. But it's good, isn't it? It's like he sings what you've felt but never had the words to express it." Amethyst nodded, unable to help but draw comparisons between what was being sung and her relationship with the other gems back at the temple.

"Speaking of expressing things," Sam said as the tape ended, "I think I'm ready to go over everything. Come on, we can talk about music later. I owe everyone here an explanation. It's going to hurt, but if you guys are going to be my first real friends, I think this is a good start. That is, of course, if you uhm… think of me as a friend… I certainly think that way of all of you..." Amethyst stared at her for a minute. Sam was basically asking permission to be friends with all of them. A smile slowly crept across Amethyst's face when she realized this. She nodded once and they both walked over to join Steven, Peridot, and Lapis to start telling the story of how Sam got to Beach City.


	4. Chapter 4: Old Wounds and New Faces

**Author's Note: This story got more attention than I thought it would. I've noticed my chapters getting shorter in word count, so I'll have to start adding content without resorting to filler. Also, I'm hoping everyone seems in character. There's something at the end of this chapter that seems a bit out of character, but I promise I'll make it work in the next chapter. Also, this chapter will be the most Sam centric chapter this story will have. This story is meant to be about the gems interacting with a new face, a human who Steven barely knows who just happened to be in trouble. It's not meant to be about that person entirely. Anyway, hope this is good enough for you guys.**

The barn was full of commotion. Steven had been trying to teach Lapis and Peridot how to play sleepover games. He started with truth or dare, which ended pretty quickly when Peridot picked truth and Lapis asked how she felt about Amethyst. Peridot got angry and quickly changed to dare. Lapis dared her to go kiss Amethyst, and Steven had to stop them both before a fight broke out. So then he tried telephone, which involved whispering something into the ear of the person next to you, and they did it to the person next to them, and so on. But there were only three of them, as Amethyst and Sam were still over by the air mattress. Steven was going to suggest hide and seek, but the barn didn't have a whole lot of hiding places, and he was sure that Lapis would have hidden somewhere way too far away. Luckily for him, Amethyst and their guest had started walking over with the rest of the group.

"Hey guys!" Steven said, relieved to be able to change the subject. "How is everything? You two getting to know each other? Do we need more music? I can look around for some records or something! There's probably a turntable around-" he was cut off by Amethyst. "It's ok, Steven, I think we'd rather have some quiet for this. Sam has something she wants to say. To all of us." She sat on the floor in between Lapis and Peridot. Peridot, of course observed this and read into it way too much. But Sam began talking, and her attention was pulled to the girl about to pour her heart out in front of them all.

"So… First of all, I want to thank you. All of you. This has been the most enjoyable night I've had since I was sixteen. I've had 'friends' who didn't treat me as nicely as any of you have, and you're all strangers to me. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Steven, you saved my life, and now all of you together are trying to make sure it stays that way. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I'm eternally grateful. It's because of this that I feel I owe you the whole story. I mean friends don't keep things from one another, do they? Or at least, they shouldn't. I want to kick things off on the right foot. No secrets, no hiding anything, I'm going to lay it all out. This is hard for me, so please, if I start getting choked up or something, just let me calm down a little bit. I want to start and finish this tonight." Aside from stalling a little with her wordiness, she was off to a good start. She saw a light from outside come through the window. She assumed it was a car, and was going to bring it up, but she had stalled enough. It was time. Everyone was sitting in a semi-circle. From left to right, it was Steven, Peridot, Amethyst, and Lapis. And in front of them was Samantha Lynch, a girl that none of them really knew who just wanted something that everybody deserves. She sighed, breathing deeply, before she began.

"When I was a born, my biological parents, whoever they are, didn't want me. I was a mistake. You can tell, my name is Sam. They covered their bases for a boy or a girl. It was a name that took little effort to come up with. They abandoned me pretty shortly after I was born. Probably left me at a fire station or something like you see in old TV shows. They're out there somewhere, maybe living the high life, maybe in bad shape like me. I don't know, and I have no way of knowing. But after they abandoned me, I was thrown into the foster care system pretty quickly. I was moved from family to family on a regular basis. The first family were just interested in the tax breaks and I didn't have much interaction with them. I was taken away from them when they found out that they both had a bit of a cocaine habit. I was glad to get out of there at first, but the next family wasn't better. They fought a lot. They fought so often that they would neglect us all. Oh, I had foster brothers and sisters there too. But they would routinely torture me. They shaved my head, threw me down the stairs, broke my arm with a hammer... My case officer took me out when they saw the cigarette burns on my arm after the cast came off."

Sam bit her lip and held up a finger, silently asking the group for a moment to compose herself. They obliged, allowing the girl to take a few more deep breaths and wipe her eyes. Steven had pulled a pillow up to himself to hug. He didn't like hearing about this, it made him wonder what would happen if this strange "foster care system" came after him. He knew that the gems would come help him, but it was still a scary thought. Especially when he realized that Sam didn't have any gems to help her back then. He wished he could have helped her sooner. That just made him feel worse. But Sam wanted to share her story with everyone. And if getting it off her chest made her feel better, Steven would listen.

"The family after that was very religious. I think I was about 12 around this time. They preached to me about fearing God and all that. I didn't buy into it. What God would put someone through what I was going through? But I went through the motions every day, just to appease them. I thought I made an actual connection with them for a bit. My foster father put his arm around me, I felt like I was loved. But two years went by and I realized something about myself. I had no attraction to men. I thought that 'Hey, my foster parents are religious, but they like me. They might even love me. They'll understand, it will be ok.' They didn't. We had a huge argument. They yelled at me repeatedly, beat me, I just blacked out hoping the torment would be over when I came to. I was wrong. That night… I was in my room with the lights off. The door creaked open… It was him…" She took a moment. Her eyes were red from the tears that flowed freely down her cheek. She looked at the four on the ground in front of her and saw a few faces matching her own. But she didn't see the square shaped face that now was staring in from the other side of one of the nearby windows.

She took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and put on a brave face. "He did things to me. Things that uhm… Steven shouldn't know about. I trust the three of you know what I'm talking about, right…?" Amethyst, wiping her eyes, nodded her head. Lapis held a hand over her mouth and refused to make eye contact. Peridot had a confused, albeit very sad, look on her face. She looked over to Amethyst, who simply said, "Think about the fusion experiments, Peridot… That bad…" Peridot thought for a moment before clarity spread across her face, followed immediately by disgust, and shortly after, compassion. Steven understood as well, but his face was buried in the pillow that he clutched onto for dear life.

"I lived there for a few more months. This was a nightly occurrence. My caseworker pulled me out after a teacher at school finally got me to talk about it. I had been moved all over the state, I never had a place to call home until the next family. A sweet couple. The closest thing I had to a mom and dad. They loved me, I know that for a fact. Malcolm and Evelyn. I called them Mal and Evie for short. They were so amazing. Mal played the guitar and his walls were covered with them. His baby though, I remember, was a '72 Telecaster. He could make it sing the sweetest songs… He taught me everything he could, and I wanted to learn. I soaked up everything he taught me, from the basic chords to diminished scales to exotic sounding Locrian stuff, I needed more. And Evie was no stranger to music. She played a hurdy gurdy. I always thought it was cool, it sounded like bagpipes but it was a string instrument. They loved to play for me. They didn't have a band or anything. Evie was a schoolteacher and Mal was a psychiatrist. Made it real easy to come out to them. I told them with tears in my eyes a year into my stay with them, and Mal just said 'Sammy, honey, we love you. We wanted you here. You can date whoever you want, just make sure you stay safe. Don't be afraid to bring them here, we'll love them as long as they don't hurt you.' Evie held onto Mal's arm and smiled at me, nodding in agreement. I ran up to both of them and held them tight, thinking that it was finally ok. But the pattern had already formed. It wasn't going to be ok.

"Six months later, they had to go out of town for a bit. They were looking for a new house, I think. They said they'd be back around 8PM. Well… 4 AM rolled around. I hadn't heard anything. I was scared, and rightfully so. I was panicking all evening. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I just kept pacing around the living room. I called their cell phones again, for probably the 20th time that night. Someone answered. It was a police officer. I told them who I was and they told me that they hit a patch of black ice. They rolled over into the woods. They died on impact…" Sam took a moment for herself again, trying to keep herself from crying any harder. She looked over her shoulder at the air mattress and saw the bear. "As soon as I got off the phone, I started packing. I was terrified that they'd put me back into the foster care system and I couldn't do that anymore. Not after knowing a good life, not after knowing what love felt like. I packed some things. Iggy, my stuffed bear, the tape player with Tallahassee in it, an acoustic guitar, a backpack that I shoved a ton of food into, what money I was able to find, and I ran out of the back door as soon as I heard a police car pull up into the driveway."

She looked back and saw everyone's sad faces. Except, of course, for Steven, who couldn't bear to look up. Amethyst was shaking and Peridot was clutching Amethyst's arm for some semblance of comfort. Lapis had brought her knees up to her chest and was hugging them, trying and failing to hide her sad eyes behind them. Sam was glad the worst was over, at least. She continued with her story.

"After that, I became like this. Traveling around with no real place to go. I thought Steel City would work out ok, but the winter was brutal. I almost froze to death. So I left the state and tried Charm City. But every night was a struggle to survive, that place was dangerous. I kept moving, year after year, until finally I ended up here. And we all know how that turned out. That box cutter… I used it on myself because I was just so tired or running everywhere, so tired of being hurt… Tired of being unloved… But a stranger with a star on his shirt ended up loving me more than most families I've had. So I end the story the way it began… With a thank you. To all of you."

Steven was the first one to run over to her and hold her. He only came up to her knees, so it was a strange kind of hug, but not unwelcome. She was going to bend down and put her arm on his shoulders when the purple gem also hugged her at her waist. Soon after, Lapis and Peridot joined their comrades and they all stood there, holding one another, crying. Sam rested her head on Lapis' shoulder, though she was the only one tall enough for that to happen with. And just then, she felt two more arms around her from behind. She opened her eyes and looked down, seeing pale, porcelain toned hands make their way around her stomach. And then another reddish purple pair on top of that.


	5. Chapter 5: A Stranger No More

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! There's a lot less Sam this chapter. Sam is meant to be a catalyst for quite a few things to come in future chapters. I've gotten a decent critique, I really hope I can live up to it. I tried to stick close to Garnet's "No questions" policy, so she doesn't ask anything. This was fun to write, I hope that it kicks off some things that carry some momentum throughout. Hope you guys like it!**

It had been ten minutes or so since Amethyst followed Steven out the door to the Big Donut. Pearl was still fuming, but Garnet just sat there, waiting for her to cool down. She would let her rant first, though. Just to get it all out of her system. Pearl was similar to Ruby in that way. They both had a short temper. Pearl's tantrums were just a bit shorter.

"I can't keep doing this with her, Garnet! Every time I think we're getting close to a breakthrough with, something like this happens and ruins everything! It's one step forward and two steps back!" She had begun pacing back and forth throughout the house. "It's like she forgets anything meaningful a day or two after it happened! Do you remember the Kindergarten? She and I shared a moment there, and now it may as well have never even happened! I try to treat her with the same kind of gentleness that I treat Steven, but Steven is more well behaved! Steven listens to me! Steven doesn't shove eggs down the garbage disposal! Steven-"

Garnet had heard enough and when Pearl turned around to pace in the other direction, Garnet was standing right in front of her. It was enough of a shock to frighten Pearl, but not enough to make Pearl afraid of her. Garnet was very good at accomplishing that. First and foremost, she was a friend. She didn't pull out the authority figure card unless she had to. "Amethyst isn't Steven." Garnet said, looking down at Pearl. The glasses she wore masked whatever disappointment her face might be showing.

Pearl opened her mouth to say something, but Garnet wasn't finished speaking. "Amethyst has her own way of dealing with things and you treating her like Steven isn't going to stop any of this from happening." Garnet got down on one knee to meet Pearl at eye level. She put a semi-friendly hand on her shoulder. "Pearl, I want you to take a moment and think back to when Sardonyx tried to get to know Smoky Quartz. We both know what made Sardonyx split up. She realized the common thread that Amethyst and Steven both had in order to make their fusion work."

Pearl turned to look at the floor. "I remember… The reason they could fuse was that they both, and I hate saying this, but for lack of a better term, hate themselves… That's why every joke they made was about how awful they were… We didn't like that thought, we wanted them both to know how amazing we think they are..." She brought her head back up to meet Garnet's gaze. "But we tried to fix it! We got out of Sardonyx's room and they told us all about how they took down Jasper! We showed an interest, we showed we were impressed. That's what they wanted, right? Everything should be ok! So why isn't everything ok…?"

Garnet let out a short sigh through her nose and let go of Pearl, standing back up and turning away. "Because even though they share that common thread, you can't just fix them both the same way. They're different people. Positive encouragement for the future might work well with Steven, but Amethyst has other issues. Deep seated issues that a pat on the back and some hair ruffling won't solve." She plopped back down onto the spot in the couch that she was sitting on earlier.

Pearl stared at her with an expression that showed both guilt and the desire to know more. "Garnet…?" She began as she made her way onto the couch as well, sitting next to the fusion. "How do you know that Amethyst feels like this…?"

Garnet stayed stoic, arms crossed, legs folded so her right ankle rested on her left thigh. "All these years we spent on earth and you still think that Amethyst's only friends were us."

Pearl looked confused. "I mean… Well, there's Vidalia and Greg I guess… But I've never seen her with anyone else…"

Garnet put a hand on Pearl's knee without looking down. "Pearl, don't take this the wrong way. Amethyst loves you like we all love you. But she doesn't like to bring any of her other friends here because of your attitude toward humans."

Pearl looked offended, despite Garnet's instruction to "not take it the wrong way." "That's not fair, Garnet, and you know it! I love Humans! I protect their entire planet for them! I trained one of them to be a fantastic sword fighter, I am taking care of the son of another one, I even helped one of them write a play!"

"Every one of those instances has an ulterior motive behind it." Garnet started, "You take care of Steven because he's Rose's son, not because he's Greg's. You started training Connie because you love Steven, not because you liked Connie. And then you kept training her because you saw part of yourself in her. It almost drove Connie to lose all self worth, and before you ask, Steven told me about that. And for your last point, you protect the Earth because you loved whatever Rose loved. And Rose loved the Earth. You didn't question why. Rose always did what she wanted, and you took that to mean that you should always do what Rose wanted. Even if it wasn't good for you. In summation, you love the Earth. Not those who live here. And any human friend Amethyst has ever had, she just assumed you would treat them like they were beneath you."

Internally, Garnet knew that Ruby was showing through a little bit too harshly. She had to pull back or Pearl would shut down completely. But it might be too late. Even with her future vision, Garnet could only see potential outcomes, and though she had a plan, there was no guarantee that everything would work out as she felt it should.

Pearl sat there for what seemed like an eternity. She didn't know what to say. A big part of her wanted to deny everything, to refute every statement Garnet made. But she knew that everything Garnet just said was true. And it made her sick. To know just how selfish she had been all this time. Even before Steven came along, she viewed not just humans, but also Amethyst as a lesser being, not as an equal. She viewed Amethyst as any other gem would view a pearl back on homeworld. Pearl felt as though she could vomit, were she human. So many conflicting thoughts inside of her head. "Run away," said one. "Shout in denial," said another. She finally decided to listen to the one that just said "Go into your room and think about what you've done." She figured it fit very well that the thought she listened to sounded like a mother scolding a child, considering how childish she had been acting for these past few hundred years.

Garnet didn't say anything as Pearl got up and walked into her room in the temple, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. A shame filled her that she hadn't felt in quite some time. She certainly never expected that feeling to come from Garnet. But as she meditated in her aquatically magnificent room, she realized that Garnet was merely stating the obvious, and if she truly cared about Steven's well-being, she would have come to the same conclusions long ago.

Garnet stared at Steven's cookie cat clock, waiting for the clock to strike 9:48. She was situated on the corner of Steven's mattress, holding both of her hands together, her gems touching one another. Even though Ruby and Sapphire were one in Garnet, they still tried to be as close as possible to one another.

As the last number on the clock changed from a seven to an eight, she walked down the stairs, counting the seconds. She leaned up against the wall next to the door as she counted. She made it to twenty two before the temple door opened and Pearl ran out, shouting.

"Steven? Steven are you here?!" She looked around and just saw Garnet standing there. "Garnet, it's past Steven's curfew!" She looked at the clock and saw it was almost 10 PM. "OH MY STARS, I'M A TERRIBLE PARENT!"

Garnet almost let a smile creep across her lips, but she remained stone faced. "Pearl, Steven and Amethyst left together this morning. He's fine. So calm down." Pearl looked at Garnet with bloodshot eyes. She had been crying for the past few hours, and now she's worried sick. It didn't help that Amethyst was with him because Pearl wanted to see the both of them just as badly. It was less about Steven being out late and more about Pearl missing her family.

"Alright alright, think for a moment. Amethyst and Steven have something in common, you have to remember. They both don't like themselves. They would want to be around someone who shares that same kind of self-loathing. Amethyst, especially, dislikes how she looks. Because she's short. Pearl, we know someone else who doesn't like being short."

Pearl's eyes lit up. "PERIDOT! THE BARN! GARNET, TO THE WARP PAD!" But Garnet had already started walking over to it as soon as Pearl mentioned Peridot.

The night sky was perfectly clear, save for a few clouds way off in the southeast. You could see galaxies from the barn, considering how far from the city it was. No light pollution out here. Well, except for the beam of light coming out of Pearl's gem.

"Well," Pearl started, "There's some light coming from inside, and I hear talking, so someone's home at least…" Garnet put a hand on Pearl's shoulder and whispered. "Pearl, turn off your light. The voice from inside isn't any that we know." Pearl listened closely and realized Garnet was right. She summoned a spear and Garnet summoned her gauntlets. They were prepared to fight whatever threat had taken over the barn. Or at least Pearl was.

The two came closer to the barn and stayed quiet. Pearl had her back against the barn wall and was slowly inching her way to the large door that was now closed. That was odd, the two homeworld gems who lived there usually kept it open and used a curtain as protection from the elements outside.

Garnet heard the voice clearly coming from a window near both of them. She moved her head right in front of the screen to get a good look at what was happening inside. When she had heard a few sentences from the girl inside, she gave a brief smile. Things were going according to plan. She motioned for Pearl to sit right underneath the window. She put a finger in front of her mouth to indicate silence, and then pointed to where her ears would be under her hair. She wanted Pearl to listen. And she did.

Pearl heard almost all of Sam's story. The first part was a bit cut off, she only got "...my heart, thank you. Steven, you saved my life, and now all of you together are trying to make sure it stays that way." But after that, it was all crystal clear. She had a lot of thoughts during the story. Namely "Who is this person? Why are they here?" But soon it became clear that Steven made a new friend today, and that new friend made three other friends. She wondered why anyone would care so much for a human like this, but then she remembered her intense thinking session in her room not moments ago. She would take this as an opportunity to try and understand the plight of humans. Or at least this one. It was a good start, in any case.

The story had ended. Pearl sat against the barn wall, very upset about what she heard. The idea of knowing the best kind of love and then having it taken away from you wasn't foreign to Pearl. It was all too real. And she had the same thoughts of wanting to run, to never return to that place filled with so much pain. She didn't give into those thoughts, but to hear the story of someone who did frightened her more than she thought a human ever could frighten her. Were they that similar? It didn't matter. She clearly needed help.

Garnet stared at Pearl expectantly, with a comforting smile, holding out a hand to help her up. Pearl obliged, taking the hand and getting to her feet. Once she was up, she quietly led Garnet into the barn, being careful to slip in without causing a disturbance. Neither wanted to ruin the moment. And they didn't.

Pearl stood behind Sam and slowly moved her arms around her waist, holding her tightly. Garnet stood behind Pearl and did the same, hugging Sam, of course, but mostly holding Pearl.


	6. Chapter 6: Worst Gems

**Author's Note: No, this story isn't going to be Pearl X Garnet. The only ship I might explore is Peridot X Amethyst, and that's only a strong maybe. Anyway, this one took a while. I didn't know exactly how I wanted this to play out, but I think I did the best I could. I can only hope that my best is actually, y'know, good. Tried to downplay Sam a bit more, wanted some Pearl and Amethyst catharsis. Next chapter should be fun. Homeworld gem time! But that's next time. Anyway, hope you like it!**

Sam was in an awkward position, both physically and mentally. The hug she was trapped in was very enjoyable, but the foreign arms around her made her a bit uneasy. Who were these people? Friends of the gems? Most likely, considering the strange skin colors, but she still didn't appreciate complete strangers holding her. She would at least like to know their names. She was going to speak up, but she didn't get the opportunity. Amethyst opened her eyes when she felt the group shift a little, and immediately let go of Sam, trying to pull Steven away.

"O-oh hey! Steven! Haha! Look who it is! It's Pearl and Garnet! What a surprise!"

Amethyst tried to hide her frustration. Sam was a friend to her now. A human friend. And every human friend that Amethyst had was not introduced to any other original Crystal Gems except Steven. Steven was part human, so it was easy with him. But Garnet and Pearl were so unfamiliar with humanity. But even that isn't the right word. Garnet was indifferent at best, and Pearl, well… Pearl was sometimes antagonistic when it came to human relationships. After Steven came along, Amethyst thought that her attitude would change. But she was completely wrong. It just got worse.

Steven's eyes shot open when he heard Amethyst mention Pearl and Garnet's names. He let go at the same time, backing away. Not out of fear for himself, but he didn't want them to ruin everything they had just accomplished. "Oh hey! Y-you're right, Amethyst!"

He had different reasons for being on edge with those two coming into the picture. Steven, though never admitting it to his family, felt an immense amount of resentment towards him just because he wasn't his mother. At night, when he couldn't sleep, he wondered if his mom knew how he felt. They were the same gem after all, Rose Quartz was still somewhere in there. If Steven were to be mortally wounded, there was a chance his mom would come back. He thought about that a lot. Enough that it made him upset. Why would the Crystal Gems ever need a human being? A child, no less. Sure, Steven was part gem, but he considered himself to be a burden because of the part of him that was human. And if they didn't want Steven, why would they want Sam. But Steven was more observant than most gave him credit for. And he spoke up not with excuse or reason, but with a curiosity filled question.

"... Pearl, Garnet… why are _you_ holding Sam?"

At this point, everyone had let go of Sam. It seemed very strange, having six sets of arms wrapping around one person in the middle for an extended period of time. Sam noticed that Steven and Amethyst were both staring at the new gems, who she assumed were the Garnet and Pearl that she heard about a moment ago. She didn't like being right in between them, so she stepped back, right in between Peridot and Lapis. Though it was an intense and amazing night so far, it clearly wasn't over yet.

Amethyst curiously looked at Steven, and then back at Garnet and Pearl, parroting his question. "Hey yeah… What are you two even doing here and why are you hugging a total stranger? Oh, no offense Sam."

"None taken!" Sam chimed in from the sidelines before backing up a bit further away from the impending conversation.

Garnet looked at Pearl, who had turned her head and was staring questioningly at the fusion. "Go on then." she said, gesturing to Pearl at the group of gems before them. Pearl stared at Garnet, confused, and Garnet said "I know for a fact you have something on your mind. You need to share it with everyone else before anything else can happen."

Pearl inhaled deeply. "Steven, Amethyst, I ah… Stars this is difficult… I heard all of Sam's story. And it's tragic. Nobody should have to go through that, ah… You um, you both know my feelings about humans, and-" but she was cut off by the smaller purple gem.

"Don't you do this, Pearl. You don't have the right, so don't even try." Amethyst was holding back angry tears. She knew what Pearl was about to say. But Steven wasn't so sure. Something about how Pearl was speaking made him think this wasn't a bad thing.

"Amethyst, please, I-" but Amethyst wasn't going to let it happen. "No, Pearl. Steven and I made a friend today. She's got great taste in music, she's really nice, she's cool, and she's got nowhere to go and nobody to go to." She sidestepped her way in front of Sam, almost like she was trying to protect her. And Steven followed, doing much the same. "I'm not letting you do this to her! I'm not letting you act like nobody on this planet but us matters!" Steven put a hand on Amethyst's shoulder, trying to bring her back down a bit.

Pearl tried to keep a brave face, but she wasn't able to hold it. Her usually perfect posture gave way, and she slumped over, her face staring at the floor.

"You don't have to stop me from doing anything. Amethyst, I know how you and Steven feel about me already, I just want to-" she was cut off yet again.

"Do you even know I had other human friends? Vidalia, for starters, even Greg for a while, but there are heaps after them that I never told you about because I knew that you would treat them like dirt because they aren't like us. Well newsflash, Pearl, NOBODY ELSE ON THIS PLANET IS LIKE US!"

Pearl balled up her fists, but kept her head down. "You think I don't know that?" she said in an almost whisper. "You think I don't understand whatever loneliness you feel? Well you're wrong. Ever since we came to this planet, everything I did was for Rose, because she and I were supposed to be together until the end of time. I loved her more than I thought I ever could. And she's gone. Probably forever. I love you, Amethyst, and I love you too, Steven, but neither of you are her. The gem who taught me that I can be my own pearl, not someone else's… She's never coming back. And I live with that, day in and day out. I know we all miss her, but you don't know her like I did."

Small pools began to form on the floor beneath where Pearl's head was. Steven fought the urge to run over and hug her. This was important. Sam was important. He needed to know that Pearl knew that.

"But it doesn't matter. I've said it twice already, she's gone and never coming back. And what have I been doing? I claim, time and time again, that I'm fighting to keep this planet safe. But I can't even get over my prejudices to interact with the people who inhabit it. Rose saw me as more than 'just a pearl,' and here I've been, with the mindset that people don't matter because they're just humans. If I can't get along with the people who inhabit this planet, then I'm really no better than Homeworld, am I? I try though… I try to be a good role model for you, Steven, to be a good Crystal Gem, to live up to the expectations of Rose Quartz… But if she saw me now, she would be ashamed. I'm sorry, Amethyst, and I'm sorry, Steven. Everything I've been doing has been for the wrong reasons. I'm… a bad gem..."

Pearl's balled up fists turned back into regular hands and they wrapped themselves around her midsection. The room was silent for a very long time, save for the crickets that roamed outside. Amethyst and Steven had never seen this side of Pearl before. Their Pearl would never admit they were this hypocritical. But it happened. Right before their eyes. They felt so strange, a mixture of relief that their feelings were taken into account and understood, and also sadness that their friend felt the same way that they both feel.

"Amethyst…?" Steven said loud enough for all to hear. "What did you tell me in the Kindergarten again? Right before we fused…?" He walked over to Pearl and motioned for Amethyst to join him.

Amethyst gave pause for a moment before remembering. She started walking over as well. "Us worst gems…" she started.

"Stick together." Steven finished.

The two small quartzes wrapped their arms around Pearl's legs, as they were only tall enough to reach them, and Pearl fell to her knees to put her arms around them and engage in a proper, albeit tearful, embrace.

The trio remained like that for a while, with Garnet remarking, "In other words, Sam, we're not going to kick you out on the street. You're welcome among the Crystal Gems any time." Sam thanked Garnet, but stayed next to the two homeworld gems.

"Does… Does the whole crying and hugging thing happen a lot?" She asked both of them. Peridot answered, "You have no idea."

After the tear filled hug had ended, the silence was palpable. It was a little awkward in the barn for anyone who wasn't Pearl, Steven, or Amethyst. Slowly, however, things began to pick up. It started with Steven suggesting that Pearl and Garnet formally introduce themselves to Sam. Garnet went first.

"My name is Garnet, but you already figured that out." Sam smiled. "Yeah, I kind of took a guess. Your glasses are cool. And you're taller than me. Well, taller than everyone here to be honest. Also I can't help but notice you've got two gems. Based on Steven's description of a fusion being a 'giant woman,' would I be correct in assuming that you're a fusion?"

Garnet kept a stone face. Inside, her Sapphire was giggling while her Ruby was a bit freaked out. "You're just a regular Sherlock Holmes, aren't you?" Sam laughed at that comment and Steven burst out, "You figured it out already?! It took me all last Winter! How'd you do that?!"

Sam smiled at Steven. "Well, being on the streets lets you people watch a lot. I guess I got really good at spotting things about people. Anything I could do to get them to put some change in my cup. I'll show you some time. And Garnet, it's very nice to meet you. Formally meet you, of course."

Garnet finally smiled back. "I'm very glad to meet you too, Sam. More than you know." She walked over to one of the tables and took a seat, leaving Sam a little unsure about her last comment.

It was Pearl's turn. She came up to Sam sheepishly, extending a hand for a handshake. "I uhm… My name is- OOF!" She was interrupted by Sam ignoring her hand completely and going for the hug. Perhaps with a bit too much force. "You're Pearl. And after hearing what you said, I wanted to give you a good impression of humans. We're not so bad most of the time." She released her hug and saw a smile on Pearl's face. A nervous smile, but not an unhappy one. And maybe even a small blush. She'd take that little victory.

Pearl cleared her throat unnecessarily. "Well, yes, uhm, of course. And you're Sam!" Her calm demeanor returned rather quickly. "You've got quite the history. I apologize for eavesdropping, Garnet and I heard an unfamiliar voice in a barn that we knew Steven was in, and we just didn't want him getting hurt. We didn't know if you meant any harm, but we can all see now that you don't. I mean really, I don't know what I was so worked up about. You, hurt Steven? Like that could ever happen!"

Sam gave a weird half-smile before she heard Garnet yell "Pearl! Manners!" Pearl gasped slightly before saying "Oh I apologize… I got a bit carried away. Uhm, anyway, it's nice to meet you. And I'm sorry, but you said you used to play guitar, right?"

Sam nodded. "I sure did. Mal always told me I was a fast learner. I just hope it's all still there."

Pearl gave out a small "Hmm…" Before she smiled. "You should mention that to Steven, sometime. I'm sure there's someone he'd like to introduce you to. But speaking of Steven," she started to increase in volume so Steven could hear her. "It's past his bed-time. Steven, I think it's time we go home. Sam had a big day and needs rest, like all humans do. I'm not entirely sure how your healing powers work on humans, so she may need a bit more time to recuperate."

Steven frowned. "But Peeeeeeaaaaaaaaarllll! We were gonna have a slumber party! Come on, pleeeeeeeeease?"

Pearl suddenly felt all eyes on her. Not just Steven with his adorable puppy dog eyes, but the other gems as well. They all seemed like they wanted this to happen. She looked around the barn, noticing the large amount of pillows and blankets. Why was this solely up to her anyway? The reason why didn't matter, she thought, she was still the only possible voice of dissent.

"Oh fine…" She said. "But I'm not sleeping! I heard about the projection that comes out of my gem when I dream!"

"That's fine, P," Amethyst started, "Slumber parties aren't for sleeping anyway. Only squares actually sleep at them."

Sam and the gems grouped together and started talking about everything to one another. Peridot wanted to know more about how Sam "manipulated" people into giving her money, and Sam was a bit shy about sharing some of that. She wasn't proud of some of the things she did, but tonight seemed to be all about getting everything out there. It was funny, she thought, in a room full of alien space rocks, she was the one everyone seemed to be interested in. Casually, Sam brought up her musical ability, and, true to form, Steven gasped and shouted very loudly, "YOU GOTTA MEET DAAAAAAAAAD!"


	7. Chapter 7: Sleeping Trouble

**Author's Note: I hope this works correctly. I'm trying to upload from my phone, so things might get hairy. Anyway, I like this chapter. It starts quite a few things, there's some Amedot fluff, and it was fun to write. I hope it's fun to read!**

Everybody in the barn stayed up past midnight. Steven was the first to fall asleep, though he tried very hard to keep his eyes open, lest he be viewed as a "square" as Amethyst put it. But the sandman may as well have punched Steven in the face, because he was out like a light before he knew it. Most of the gems thought he was adorable when he slept, often keeping his mouth agape, snoring ever so quietly. But he wouldn't be the last to lose out to the call of dreamland. Due to the long day that Sam had, she felt she needed some rest as well, and she soon returned to the lovely, flannel sheeted mattress that they had set up for her. She closed her eyes, hoping sleep would find her. But she was having a very difficult time.

Meanwhile, the gems were all enjoying each other's company. It had been a while since Pearl and Garnet had been out to see Peridot and Lapis. The Homeworld gems were ecstatic that someone else was here, as that meant they could show off their meepmorps. Amethyst would visit all the time, so most of the stuff in the barn was old news to her. She was hoping she could manage to convince Peridot to stick with her while Lapis showed the others around.

"Come on, Peri, Lapis can show them everything, let's stick around Sam and Steven. They might wake up and uh… need someone… Or something. Yeah."

Peridot was skeptical, but she liked Steven. And so far, she liked Sam. Most of all, though, she liked Amethyst.

"Uhh, uhm yeah, you're… You're absolutely right. Some of us should stick closer to these two in case they uhm… what was it you said… Need someone! Yes. That is a reasonable precaution."

Amethyst was taken aback. She thought it would be way harder to get Peridot to stick by her. Maybe there was something she wasn't quite seeing.

The other gems shrugged, except for Garnet, who gave Peridot a thumbs up. This infuriated Peridot, but Lapis quickly brought attention to the nearest meepmorp. "I made this one. It reminds me of the time we played baseball." Pearl remarked, "Oh you're right! It reminds me of that too!" The tour of the morp museum continued farther away from the corner of the barn that everyone else had huddled into. It was the corner that Sam's bed was in, so they were all far enough away from the other gems to have their own conversation.

Peridot and Amethyst were both just sitting next to each other, awkwardly. Neither knew what to really do. A few minutes passed before Amethyst got up the nerve to say anything. "It's a bit colder this year. Beach City usually stays warm until early November at least."

Peridot agreed. "Yes, it is not as warm as it was this time last year. I attribute that to the growing hole in the ozone layer in the atmosphere and the effects that has on weather on this planet."

Amethyst wasn't sure what to respond to that statement with. "Uhhh… Yeah… Hole in the layers, yeah…" The silence afterward was palpable. Yet again, Amethyst was the one to,break it.

"Hey, check it out!" she said, putting one arm around Peridot and using the other to point at a disheveled piece of metal and glass connecting to the outside. "There's a wood stove!"

Peridot's eyes widened as she felt Amethyst get closer to her than she ever had done before. Well, on purpose anyway. She wouldn't forget the drill incident. Amethyst noticed the deep green blush on Peridot's cheeks and quickly let go, much to Peridot's disappointment.

Amethyst nervously chuckled slightly. "Ahaha… the umm.. Wood stove would ah… warm things up. I'm gonna start a fire in it. Wait right here!" Amethyst shot up and went outside to gather firewood, leaving Peridot with her thoughts.

When Amethyst was out of earshot, Peridot began making strange sounds. Laughter mixed with pained groans, nervous chuckles and quiet whines. She couldn't believe what was going through her mind right now, but she needed to get it out. An idea struck her with force, however, and she scrambled to her quarters in the barn.

She returned with a fresh tape that she had stored since Steven gave her the tape recorder. Lapis broke said tape recorder, but Sam had come with a cassette player that, if she recalled correctly, had a big red circle on one of the buttons. That usually meant it had recording capabilities. She nabbed Sam's cassette player from where Amethyst had left it, inserted her blank tape, and began a new log.

Outside, Amethyst was going through much of the same. The chuckles, the heart flutters, the whines, everything. _How could I be acting this way over Peridot?_ She thought to herself.

 _Peridot is weird, right? Weird and nerdy, and small and she insulted me! To my face! And then she… apologized. She was trying to impress me… Ugh, but she tried to kill us because she was, ah… just following orders… orders from Jasper… who am I kidding? Peridot saved my life like, a week after we captured her. She called Yellow Diamond a clod and renounced Homeworld because she… because she cares about us._

 _Amethyst, what are you doing to yourself, girl? You're lying to yourself if you say you don't think Peridot's at least a little cute. Sure, she doesn't have much tact, but you can't deny how much you need this. Even Pearl is gonna date someone. A human, Amethyst! She's dating a human! And it makes her… happy. You deserve to be happy too._

 _But what if Peridot doesn't feel the same way? What if I ruin all of this? I like spending time with her, I like her art, she's still cool, I want to be friends with her, wouldn't this make it awkward? Yeah, girl. Yeah it would. So just take this wood inside, light a fire, and just be friends. You're happy with friends, right?_

Amethyst headed back inside with a pile of logs in her arms. She felt a bit depressed over her decision, but she felt it was for the best. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Peridot talking.

"Peridot's log. Date, ermm.. Well, the Earth date is October Eleventh, 2016. Since my last entry, my tape recorder has been destroyed, but I've made friends with all of the gems. As in, actual friends. I care about them a lot. They are like a family to me, a concept unknown to anyone back on Homeworld. I've also recently become acquainted with a human girl named Samantha Lynch, though she prefers the shortened moniker of Sam. She is quite nice to everyone. We helped her through an attempted self shattering. The term humans use, as I've come to understand, is suicide. The desire to go through with such a process is brought on by multiple factors, but Sam stated hers came from a lack of food and the alternative being starvation. However, as I listened to her story, I believe it mostly stemmed from a lack of the human phenomenon called love. Though, it is not entirely human. Garnet's two gems both love each other enough to want to remain fused constantly. From what I gather, Pearl and Rose Quartz loved one another, but Rose loved the human Greg more. This explains a lot about Pearl's behavior, but more on that later.

"This 'love' is something that intrigues me, mainly because I believe… Well, I think I am feeling the beginnings of it. I have come to the conclusion that I am attracted to the Crystal Gem Amethyst. This was not a choice that I made, but a raw feeling that I've never encountered before. There is an overwhelming desire that comes over me when I see her upset. Just tonight, when Amethyst and Pearl were arguing, I observed tears forming in the corners of Amethyst's eyes, and it took an immense amount of willpower to not do… Something. Anything. Hold her, wrap my arms around her in an embrace, attack Pearl, who caused her such anguish.

"But these feelings must remain private. Amethyst is one of the few gems who appears to enjoy my company. With the others, save for Steven who could love even the most horrid of creatures, I feel as though I am merely tolerated. Lapis is what I may consider a friend, but our mutual interests are comprised of shared artwork and a now cancelled television show from decades ago. We may enjoy one another's company, but even she will fly off for days at a time if she has had enough of my presence."

She became quiet, hearing Lapis and the other gems getting a bit closer to where she was sitting. After a few seconds, she resumed her log.

"If Amethyst were to start behaving the same way, avoiding me, leaving me for long stretches of time, I fear that the same feelings Sam had would manifest within myself. So to avoid that, I have to keep these feelings in check. Do not come on too strong. Behave as if everything is normal. The idea of love is one that is not fit for a peridot such as myself, so I will keep these feelings to myself. And if that's what it takes to make sure Amethyst remains my friend, so be it. Peridot, facet 5, out."

She ended her recording with a sigh. There was a short period of quiet before she heard Amethyst putting logs into the wood stove.

"Welcome back, Amethyst, I trust your wood gathering mission was successful." Peridot received no reply. "Uhm… Amethyst? Can you hear me?" Amethyst had made a small pile in the stove and lit it with some newspaper and matches she found behind it. "Amethyst, is something wrong? Did I so something?" but still, no response. Amethyst slowly walked over to the blankets and pillows on the floor, right where Peridot was sitting. She sat down behind Peridot. "Amethyst, please, if I've done something to upset you or-EEP!"

Peridot was interrupted by a pair of purple hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her down into her side. Both gems head hit a pillow at the same time. It took her a moment to put things together, but Peridot melted into Amethysts arms when she finally figured it out.

"Bu-but-but why are y-" Amethyst put a finger over Peridot's lips to quiet her. "Shh… It's ok, Peri. You were worried over nothing. Now no questions, no fears, just sleep next to the fire with me tonight. Like this. I got you." Peridot felt Amethyst's chin resting on the side of her neck. She felt a calm wash over her that she had never felt before and never wanted to end. She had never slept before, but with Amethyst holding her like this, she would try anything. The gems closed their eyes and, with a smile on both of their faces, they fell asleep together.

Around the same time, the other gems had finished the tour of the meepmorp exhibition. "Well, I can certainly see you two have been busy here," Pearl began, "all of this artwork is fantastic. Mostly abstract, but not unpleasant to look at. Sometimes the pieces were like mental puzzles that you have to figure out, but once you do, it's beautiful."

Lapis smiled sincerely. "Thanks, Pearl. I'm glad to get an honest critique for once. Usually, everyone just says 'looks great, Lapis' and leaves it at that. Well, except Steven. Though he just says ''Wow, cool!' which isn't any more helpful. It's nice that someone can articulate how they feel about our meepmorps for once."

Pearl was about to continue, but Garnet was grinning at something. "Speaking of putting beautiful things together, Pearl…"

Pearl and Lapis both saw Garnet's gaze and looked where it seemed she was looking. In amongst the pile of blankets and pillows was a mixture of purple and green, in front of the fire.

"Oh my stars…" Pearl said in a whisper. She couldn't believe it. She wanted Amethyst to be happy, but she never would have thought that she and Peridot would get together. _It doesn't matter what I think,_ she thought to herself. _If they're happy together, it's none of my business. Remember, Pearl, Amethyst can make her own decisions. Just support her._

Lapis had a sly smile on her face. She had been waiting for this to finally happen. Peridot always loved when Amethyst would visit and then would slip into a funk when she would leave. Though Peridot could be grating, Lapis still saw her as a good friend and wanted to see her happy. But the devilish part of her couldn't wait to see them try to fuse. It was always funny watching Peridot try to dance.

Garnet put her hands on her hips and stared at everyone, satisfied with how the day went. "Well everyone, Steven wanted a slumber party, I think it's time we actually sleep." Pearl was about to say something, but before she could, Garnet had gone stiff and fallen face first onto the floor.

"Ugghhh…" Pearl groaned. "She's gone. No use til morning. Honestly, I don't understand the big deal with sleeping. You could be doing so many other things with the time it takes!"

Lapis agreed. "I know, right? Usually Peridot and I watch Camp Pining Hearts 'til the sun comes up. But now she's actually dreaming. In Amethyst's arms, no less! It's been a crazy day."

Pearl nodded. "You're quite right. I never thought I would see the day where Peridot is sleeping and Amethyst is the one holding her. I always assumed it would be a human that Amethyst finally fell for. She shares so many of their habits already, it just made sense. Like sleeping! She does that all the time. But I just can't see the appeal."

Lapis and Pearl stood there for a moment. "So…" Lapis began. "What do we do now? Neither of us is going to actually sleep, right?" Pearl shook her head. "That's right. Hm… You said you and Peridot watched some shoe together, right?" Lapis nodded and Pearl thought for a moment. "Alright. Let's watch it." Lapis immediately took Pearl's hand and flew them both up to the balcony, where they had set up the television and VCR. Pearl was shaken up a bit from the suddenness, but Lapis was extremely excited and couldn't help herself. "Should we start with the episodes that aired or the pilot? Peridot ordered it from Canada, it's rare. It's not great, but it establishes some things that don't come into play until later episodes. I think you'll understand, though." She popped the video tape into the VCR and pressed play. Pearl let out a sigh. It was still six hours til the sun would be up. Might as well settle in.

Throughout the evening, Sam remained awake. She tried to sleep, but she slept for most of the day already. After all, blood loss takes quite a toll on the human body. And Steven's healing powers haven't been formally tested, so there's no telling exactly what side effect it might have. At least, not for Sam. But as she lay there, she heard everything. Amethyst and Peridot becoming a bit more intimate, mostly. But what really had gotten to her was Peridot's log entry. About the lack of love and the effect it has on someone. She knew deep down that Peridot was right. The reason she did what she did earlier that day had less to do with food and more to do with love. Until a few hours ago, her only friend was her stuffed bear, Iggy. Now, she was surrounded by people who all seemed to care about her. But how long would it take until they cast her back out again?

Her head was immediately filled with thoughts of abandonment and inadequacy. She sat up, knowing sleep was not a luxury granted to her on this night. If she wanted to keep all of the bad thoughts that made her cut her wrists earlier out of her head, she was going to need a distraction. Sam quietly got out of her bed, taking Iggy with her, and nabbed the radio that Amethyst was using earlier. She climbed up into the upper floor of the barn and sat down. She turned the volume knob down, making sure she wouldn't wake anyone, and turned the ancient thing on. It crackled with life before she turned the volume knob a bit higher so she would be able to hear some music, news, anything really. In her opinion, entertainment fell into two categories; escapism and emotionalism. She needed the former, and badly. Quickly, she started fiddling with the tuning knob.

"...Krol's band is new to the scene, but they're making waves with their new single…... _you like a burger? From Pepe's Burgers…..._ tropical storm has the potential to turn into a category five hurricane, and based on our estimates, it might make landfall within the next few days. The potential danger zones are looking like Charm City, Jersey, and the whole Del-" "Boo."

Sam jumped when Lapis whispered that right into her ear. A few yards away, Pearl stood shaking her head. "Lapis, please, she's had quite a day. And should be sleeping." with that last remark, Pearl stared right at Sam. Sam let out a sheepish chuckle. "I know, I just… I've been sleeping all day, and there's… A lot on my mind, I just… I can't get to sleep."

Pearl and Lapis looked at each other then shifted their gaze to Sam. Lapis was frowning and Pearl looked sympathetic. The paler of the gems replied. "Do you uhm… want to talk about it…? Oh no. That's much too forward. What I mean to say is-" Sam waved her hand. "I would love to talk about it. I need to." Lapis extended a friendly hand to help Sam up, which she gladly took hold of. Lapis walked over and took Pearl's hand as well, then brought them both to the balcony and flew them up to the roof to look at the stars.

Sam told them everything that she heard that night. Several times, Pearl gasped, especially when Peridot's log was brought up. Lapis kept a friendly hand on Sam's shoulder throughout.

"And I don't know, I guess I'm just afraid that you're all going to turn out to be another family that doesn't want me. They all got tired of me before, why should you be different? I don't mean any disrespect, I know you've all done a lot for me and as a result of me. I can't help what my brain comes up with sometimes, you know?"

Pearl and Lapis both responded in the affirmative. "Of course we do! I was trapped in a mirror for centuries, and then trapped in a fusion with an awful gem for months at the bottom of the ocean, I still get flashbacks." Sam looked at Lapis confused, but sympathetic. A look that said, "I don't understand, but I believe you." Pearl added, "Hey, I fought in a rebellion. A war, even. My mind takes me back there sometimes when I least expect it. The gems I hurt… people too! It's never fun. That's why I'm glad I've got my family here. Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, and now Peridot and Lapis. I would be lost without them."

Lapis chimed in, "Agreed. I was kind of iffy about Peridot at first, but every gem here loves me. I can't believe it sometimes."

Sam lay on the barn roof, staring up at the heavens. "You two have your family here that loves you. But the family that loved me the most, the family that I actually considered to be family… They're gone. And all I have to remember them by is this bear and that Mountain Goats tape. Man, I left that house so quickly. I wish I could have taken more, like a picture or something… But it's too late now."

Lapis shot up. "No it isn't!" Pearl and Sam both sat up and looked at her, puzzled. "Sam," she said, "Do you remember where they lived?"

Sam and Pearl exchanged glances. "Well, yeah, why?"

Lapis extended her watery wings. "We're going. Right now."


	8. Chapter 8: Looking a Little Green

**Author's Note: New chapter time! Yeah, some more Amedot fluff, but it's fun to write! Also, adventure time with Lapis, Pearl, and Sam! It's a bit shorter than last time, but I didn't want to go crazy with some things I have planned. Hope you like it, feel free to leave reviews! I like hearing from you guys. It keeps me going, y'know? Anyway, here's chapter 8!**

* * *

Pearl and Sam both looked at each other, incredulously. Lapis couldn't be serious, could she? Sam knew Lapis was able to fly, but to fly all the way to Keystone while carrying two people? That sounded absurd.

Pearl shared the same sentiment, and voiced her opinion. "Lapis, surely you can't be serious. The amount of effort that would require for you-"

Lapis interrupted Pearl with an annoyed grunt. If anything, she looked almost insulted that they thought she couldn't do it.

"You think that I'm unable to fly from state to state after I already flew across the galaxy to Homeworld? Are you kidding me right now?"

Sam had no idea about any of that, but Pearl remembered all too well. "Alright," she relented, "You have a point there…"

Sam looked bewildered and spoke up. "Uhh, Lapis, are you sure this isn't a burden? I mean, it's a long way to Keystone from Delmarva."

"Oh not at all! Besides, I need to stretch my wings a little bit. I've been cooped up in this barn for long enough. It'll be good for me. Oh and you! Us. It'll be good for us!"

Sam and Pearl were both hesitant, but Lapis didn't care enough to wait around all night for an answer. Sure, it was a slumber party for Steven, but as long as they made it back by morning, she was sure Steven would be fine. And if it made Sam happy, it would make Steven happy too, so he would forgive them anyway. Lapis grabbed them both by the wrists and immediately took off into the night sky, frightening both Pearl and Sam enough to coax a scream from from their throats. Lapis just hoped they didn't wake anybody up.

"LAPIS THIS IS SO RECKLESS I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN!" Pearl shouted as they escaped into the stratosphere. Lapis ignored the shouting, she knew it would die down once Pearl realized her options were to either let everything happen or let go and drop to the ground, probably poofing (and possibly shattering) her in the process. Sam, however, wasn't shouting. She was a bit frightened at first, as evidenced by the loud scream, but the frightened screaming soon gave way to excited wailing.

"Lapis! This is amazing!" She exclaimed.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it more than Pearl is! But I'm going to need your help once we cross the border. Where did you live?"

"Oh right… Ah, the town was called Chippingsville, when we get to the border, head toward Steel City and look for a reservoir. The house is a couple miles to the North of it, in the middle of the woods. It's been… Well, a while, but I think I remember how to get there from the reservoir."

Lapis nodded and sped up, heading straight out of Beach City, out of Delmarva, and into the night sky.

After a half hour or so, Pearl had finally calmed down. She and Sam were both admiring the view. It was like they could see forever into the darkness. Of course they couldn't, and when they had gotten closer, Lapis asked Pearl to use her gem as a spotlight so they could locate the reservoir that Sam had spoken about.

"Oh! OH! Lapis! Sam! I think I see it!" Everyone looked where her spotlight was pointing. Sure enough, there was the enormous water supply for the entire town. Lapis flew closer to the treeline and slowed to a stop right above the edge of the water. Pearl looked around and Sam matched her gaze to get a better look at everything.

"Ok," Sam began, "There's the 'No Swimming' sign on the gate over there… So if we fly about 3 miles or so in that direction," she pointed into the darkness to the right of them, "we should be close to the house."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the barn, Peridot had awoken in a fright. She looked around, clearly on edge. She briefly noticed the fire in the wood stove had died down, but she also noticed she was still in Amethyst's arms. That made her feel a bit better, but her mind continued racing.

She hadn't slept before, so of course dreams were new. And hers, like most gems' first dreams, was a nightmare. She dreamt that Yellow Diamond herself had come for her in the night and caught her in Amethyst's arms. A peridot and a defective quartz gem indulging in human rituals such as affection and sleep? The punishment for that was immediate shattering.

Her whimpering had woken Amethyst, who responded by holding onto the green gem even tighter.

"Shhh, it's ok, Peri." she mumbled, through her groggy sounding voice. "I got you, remember? Everything's ok. Was just a dream, that's all. Nothing's gonna hurt you while I got you."

Peridot continued her whimpering. "Amethyst, I know you said no questions, but… But why me? Why all this? Why now? There's so much going through my mind, I can't take it, I feel like I'm going to explode. It's not that I'm not enjoying this, it's just happening so fast, I don't know what's going on and-" Amethyst put a finger on Peridot's lips to keep her quiet before she sat up and grabbed one of the green gem's hands.

"It's ok, we can talk about it. I was just kinda hoping to get through one night before we had to do all the difficult stuff. But let's take a step outside, we don't want to wake up anyone, ok?"

Peridot nodded and the two walked out of the barn into the chilled night air to begin the conversation that they probably should have had from the beginning.

Amethyst leaned up against a wall and waited for Peridot to start with the questions. She knew she had them, after all, Peridot was a Homeworld gem who only knew about Earth through documents and records. She knew nothing of the actual Earth experience.

"Amethyst, tonight was wonderful and it felt very good at first, but it's scaring me. I shouldn't be doing this, should I? Back on Homeworld, this sort of thing was frowned upon at best, outright prohibited at worst. If they caught us, we could both be shattered, and I don't even know what we were technically doing! What was that? Why did I feel that way? What-" Amethyst interrupted her.

"Peridot chill. I'll answer all your questions, just, y'know, one at a time. I'm still just waking up." She rubbed her eyes as Peridot paced around in a circle in front of the barn.

"Ok, one question at a time. I can handle that… I guess first, is this what love is?"

Amethyst's eyes shot open and she blushed immediately. "I uh… I think that's a little strong of a word. We don't know each other super well, I just think you're kinda cute. But uh… Romance, I think, is the word you're looking for. Yeah, the whole sleeping next to each other, holding each other, that's romance."

"Romance, I see. Is that the beginning of the human phenomenon of love?"

"Well, in some cases, yeah, it will turn into that."

"How do I know if it does?"

Amethyst laughed nervously and put a hand on the back of her head. "You'll know, I guess… Love is kind of like… when romance isn't enough. When you're like Garnet, you know? Two gems that want to be together so badly, they fuse with each other and stay that way."

"Wait, love between gems is constant fusion?"

"No! I mean, well sometimes it is. In Garnet's case, it is, but it doesn't have to be that way."

"This is confusing, Amethyst, just explain to me in no uncertain terms what love is."

Amethyst looked down at the ground. "Well I uh… Can't. I can't explain it. Nobody can. At least, I don't think. Not accurately anyway. But you'll know when you feel it, ok? It might not even be with me, you could find someone else."

"But Amethyst, I don't want anyone else."

Amethyst turned away slightly. She wasn't used to people being this candid about this sort of thing."

"Ok, I get it. That feeling I mean. The start of a relationship can be like that, but it might not turn out the way you want it to. We could be too different, or too similar, we might end up not having anything in common and we might decide that romance and love isn't for us. But don't think about that right now, just see where this takes us, ok?"

Peridot nodded. "I see, the only way to know for certain is to wait for events to unfold. That's… Not ideal, but if that's the only way, then I'll persevere."

"Peridot, you shouldn't feel so scared about this. That's part of the fun. The experience, I mean. Just seeing where a relationship takes you. And if it takes us somewhere cool, then that's great, but if not, that's ok too. Just relax, do whatever you feel is right."

"But that's just it, none of this feels right. On Homeworld, we'd be shattered for this behavior. It has no purpose in society, it's just emotional drivel that doesn't help anything in the grand scheme of things."

Amethyst let her hair fall in front of her face to mask her frown.

"But… But it feels good. The vulnerability with someone, the embracing, the nuzzling, the togetherness, it all makes me feel warm inside. Like what we were doing on the blankets in front of the fireplace, that made me feel…"

Amethyst looked up at her in anticipation, but remained silent.

"Happy I guess is an accurate word. Being with you makes me feel happy. And on Homeworld, that would be bad. But, as I'm constantly reminded, this isn't Homeworld, it's Earth. A society of pseudo-anarchy where everyone is free to do whatever they want as long as nobody gets hurt. I'm… I'm not hurting anyone, am I?"

Amethyst excitedly said "No! Not at all, in fact, you're doing the opposite! You're doing a good thing."

Peridot continued pacing for a moment, weighing her options in her head. Amethyst could only observe, afraid to say anything that might sway her one way or the other. After what seemed like an eternity, Peridot finally spoke again.

"OK. This is my life now, on Earth, it makes sense that I do Earth things. And you said that this isn't bad, what I'm feeling, and judging by how you, uhm… grabbed me… earlier… I assume we both feel the same way about each other so nobody is getting hurt, right?"

Amethyst smiled and nodded.

"Very well… Then uhm… Can we ah… Go back in and do, uh… that? You know, that thing? Some more?"

Amethyst chuckled. "Yeah, we can go back in and snuggle some more." She walked over to Peridot and put an arm behind the Homeworld gem's back. Peridot blushed a dark shade of green and yelped when Amethyst swept her feet out from under her with the free hand she had, carrying her bridal style.

As Amethyst carried Peridot back into the barn, she softly said, "Y'know, tomorrow, I should show you what kissing is."

* * *

"Lapis, there it is!" Sam said, "Bring us down!"

Lapis flew down into the forest that surrounded the house, setting down both Pearl and Sam safely and gingerly before she was on her feet as well. Pearl let her light flood the front of the house that Sam used to call home. Sam's mouth dropped open. Vegetation had taken over the yard and most of the outside walls. Vines covered everything, pieces of the patio were rotting and close to falling down. Decay had set in on the manmade structures, nature springing to life around it all.

"Wow… It's so overgrown… I guess after I ran away, nobody came back here… You know, now that I think about it, why would they? Mal and Evie never really had anybody over, and I don't know how the police officers would have known where to come… Gosh, I really could have stayed here, couldn't I? The power would have gotten cut sooner or later, but I never… I never had to leave…"

Pearl and Lapis both held onto Sam in some form or another, the both of them just trying to let Sam know that it was ok now. She had friends, she had support, and the past was just that. The past.

The three of them walked forward together, into the ghost of what used to be a loving home. Into a hotbed of painful memories for one of them. But they came all this way, and they wouldn't go back until they had gotten something useful out of this excursion.

The door was unlocked, but it was clear that nobody had used it in years. The hinges were rusty and barely functioned, and the knob had nearly broken off. Sam attempted to screw the knob back in, but it hardly mattered, as the door seemed eager to open anyway. The screeching sound of the rusted metal scraping against itself was loud enough to scare off a few owls that were hooting in trees nearby.

"It's… It's all the same…" Sam said, breathlessly. Astonishingly, the inside of the house remained in tact. All of the decay and overgrowth had merely taken over the outside. The interior was just dusty. As if no one had touched in in years. Accurate, considering that was entirely the case.

"Sam," Pearl began, "Be careful. We don't want you getting injured. There's no telling if any wild animals found their way inside." But Sam could already tell that everything was ok. She reached into a cabinet next to the door and pulled out a lantern and some matches. Working quickly, she lit said lantern and was able to see on her own without Pearl's gem. "Follow me…" She said to the two gems with her. Pearl looked a bit uneasy, but Lapis enjoyed the exploration. It was someplace new, someplace exciting. Pearl preferred the familiar. Though it was good, she thought to herself, that she was getting out of her comfort zone more.

Sam led the trio throughout the house. Showing them where she used to eat, where she used to play guitar with Mal in the living room, where she used to sit and listen to records and tapes, where she truly enjoyed life for the first time. Lapis made sure to fill a bag with more Mountain Goats tapes, as those seemed to be Sam's favorite. Pearl was going to say something, but Sam didn't seem to try to stop Lapis from taking anything.

"Oh wow… Hey, you two wanna see what we looked like?" Sam picked up a picture from the mantle of the fireplace. "We took this picture on my birthday. Mal got me a camera and I wanted to try it, so I set the timer and we all took this in front of the house." Sam wiped away some tears on her sleeve. She didn't bother hiding it. She figured that if there was any place crying would be appropriate, it would be here. "I'm holding the guitar that Evie gave me… Oh man, I wonder if that's still around…" She passed the picture off to Lapis before she started searching for her lost instrument.

Lapis held the picture in its frame for a moment, but couldn't see it. Her gem was on her back, so using it as a light source was difficult. "Pearl, do you wanna see Sam and her family?" she asked, hoping for some help to see with Pearl's gem.

"Oh absolutely! Here let me see… Oh my, they all look… Wait, why is…"

Lapis and Pearl both took a sharp inhale. Malcolm looked decent enough. The brown hair that used to be on his head seemed to have migrated to his chin. He looked like an actual mountain man. Sam looked the same as she did now, but cleaner and much younger. And of course, above all else happier. Evie, on the other hand…

"Lapis, you see this too, right?"

Lapis let out a nervous laugh. "I see her… Does she look familiar to you?"

Pearl shook her head. "No, I've never seen her before… But she's definitely a gem."


	9. Chapter 9: White Lies and Workshops

**A/N: So got a few things I want to bring up. First, I appreciate every review that gets left on this story, every favorite, every follow, every single person who reads this and thinks it's good. I try to make sure it's good enough to warrant such praise from all of you. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Second, in the first chapter, Steven is mentioning how some chords he's thinking of sound familiar. If you're still wondering, those were the chords for Here Comes A Thought. Also David Bowie's Space Oddity, but it's mostly the first one. This chapter seems a bit short to me, but there's not much more I could add into it. I didn't like leaving the cliffhanger for the last chapter, but it was either make the last chapter way too long, or make this chapter a bit shorter. So I decided to go for the latter. So without further ado, let's continue!**

* * *

Lapis and Pearl continued staring at the picture. They couldn't believe what they saw. This "Evie" person was clearly a gem, and Pearl could even tell what kind based on the odd color of her skin. But they both knew they should tell Sam immediately. She poured out her heart to them, making a huge deal about not keeping secrets between friends, they figured they should return the favor. "Hey Sam?" Lapis called out.

The gems brought Sam back into the living room and sat her down. This was going to be an interesting conversation. She set the lantern she was carrying down on a nearby table, lighting up the living room so it was easier to see.

"What did you guys need?" Sam asked, curious as to the tone the gems had used when calling her back into the room.

Pearl decided to take the reins on this one. "Well, Sam, Lapis and I were looking at this picture of your guardians."

"Parents," Sam corrected. "I saw them as my family."

"Right, your parents. You all look so happy in this picture, but Lapis and I both erm… Noticed something. I want to ask you some questions, if that's ok."

Sam seemed a bit uneasy, but nodded. "Uh, sure, go ahead…" she said.

"So… Evie..." Pearl pondered the right way to phrase things, being deliberate with every word that came out of her mouth. "She had a very different kind of skin tone, didn't she?"

Sam giggled. "Oh that! Of course, right, she had a skin disorder. Mal said not to worry about it. There wasn't anything any doctors could do, but it didn't hurt her. She was fine! She couldn't go out into the sun often, which is probably why she stayed in her workshop most of the time, but it wasn't anything serious."

"Of course, of course, we know that. But I don't want to get ahead of myself. This ah… lump under her turtleneck. Right here…" She held the picture out and pointed at what she was referring to so Sam could see it better.

"Yeah, her goiter. That's what Mal said it was. Just an enlarged thyroid, lots of women have them, but Mal said it wasn't anything to worry about."

Pearl sighed audibly. "Did you ever see her neck? Up close, I mean. Did she always wear turtlenecks like this?"

Sam was beginning to feel like she was being interrogated and did not appreciate it. "What? I mean, probably? I don't understand why you're so concerned, they're both… Both gone…" Her voice hitched slightly. She never liked to state it outright.

Lapis had lost her patience. "Sam, Evie didn't have a skin condition because technically, she didn't have skin. That wasn't a goiter, that was a gem. Evie was a gem!"

"Lapis!" Pearl shouted angrily. "We were supposed to use tact!"

"Oh come on, why beat around the bush? She deserves to know and not be treated like a child, you already said you had problems with that, I was just helping out!"

"I don't need your help with my personal problems, thank you!"

Sam didn't want to put up with their petty arguing considering the accusation about her mother that she had just heard.

"OK there's a time and place for this and it's not here or now, so both of you, stop it!" She said that last part a little louder than she intended, but she didn't care. She wanted to get to the bottom of this.

"Ok, ok…" Sam tried to calm herself down. "So… You both agree that Evie is a gem? That… That makes no sense. Before you showed up at the barn, Pearl, Amethyst already filled me in on the fact that you were the last of the rebellion, the only Crystal Gems on Earth that weren't corrupted or shattered. She couldn't have been a gem, no. No." She sighed with partial relief, thinking she figured out the flaw in their argument.

"Well, Sam…" Pearl hesitated. "You have a point there, but she's different. She wasn't a part of any rebellion. Looking at her color, I would hazard a guess that she was a jade. And jades were considered of lesser status than pearls. Pearls, like myself, were basically status symbols. One would be lucky to own a pearl on Homeworld… But people owned jades by the dozen. They were used like slaves. They were able to carry out simple tasks, but were too weak to take up arms against their owners. Most of them would live to be only a few years old before they were shattered for small mistakes…"

Pearl had a hard time continuing, her voice growing more haggard with every word about the mistreatment of "lesser" gems on Homeworld. So Lapis decided to step in.

"But Evie got out! It looks that way, anyway. Who knows how long she was here? But it all makes sense. The house hidden in the woods, the fact that she never sought out any other gems, the fact that she adopted you instead of attempting any sort childbearing, the love of the freedom that the Earth could give us… I just don't know how she got here. Maybe she hid away in a ship's cargo bay or something, though I guess it doesn't really matter how it happened at this point… Hey, are you ok…?"

Sam was sitting there, her eyes wide but her mouth shut. Her breathing was erratic, but that was understandable. She was beginning to agree with the other gems about Evie. A lot of little things started to make their way to the forefront of her mind. The fact that she played the hurdy gurdy, an instrument from the Renaissance, the fact that she refused to go into town when Sam and Mal went in their old pickup, the fact that Sam never saw Evie leave for work, never saw her at the school she claimed to teach at, the fact that she was never seen eating, the time when she disappeared for a few days after the tree fell on the house right onto her and Mal's bedroom… Sam just thought she was in the hospital, but maybe she was regenerating. That's why Mal had that weird shaped rock with him-

"It was a moon…" Sam said aloud.

"Uhhh… What…?" Lapis asked, concerned for Sam's wellbeing.

"Her gem. It was a sideways crescent moon. The corners went up around her neck a little ways… I remember… I thought it was just a necklace she wore sometimes. But thinking back, it was made of jade…"

Pearl and Lapis both sat down on the couch next to Sam, relieved that she understood. But Sam just sat there, mouth agape. She was piecing everything together.

"I can't believe- I mean, she kept it from me… They both kept it from me. How could they think I wouldn't understand…?"

Lapis got up to look around the house some more, picking up the lantern to help her. She had done what needed to be done and figured Sam would want some alone time. After all, that's probably what Lapis would want. Pearl put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Hey, don't think like that. They both loved you very much, you said it yourself."

"But they lied to me… Evie always said she was a schoolteacher, but I never saw her leave the house. Whenever I stayed home from school, sick or something, she'd always be here. She told me she was sick too, or something happened at the school…"

Pearl stayed silent, letting Sam vent her feelings. "All this time, I thought she taught at a different school than what I went to, but she didn't teach at all… She just stayed home all day, doing who knows what."

Sam's head shifted. She was looking down at the carpet, but her gaze moved upward, straight forward. She looked slightly curious, if Pearl had to come up with a word to describe her face. "What… What was she doing every day?"

Just then they both heard a scraping sound, like unsanded wood moving against a carpet. Sam and Pearl made eye contact, which made Sam shield her eyes from Pearl's gem. Before Pearl could apologize, they both heard Lapis gasp.

"Both of you… Both of you need to see this…"

Pearl took Sam's hand and led her to where Lapis' voice was coming from. And when they stood in front of the open wooden door, they all stared in amazement, but the gems had different reasons than the human.

Before the trio lay a room whose walls were coated in musical instruments. Mostly guitars, but several violins, cellos, mandolins, even a few banjos. They all looked to be hand-crafted with expert skill, and very quickly answered Sam's question of what Evie did all day.

The gems, while slightly impressed by the sheer number of instruments in the room, were mostly concerned with the guitar that seemed to be the centerpiece of the whole thing. On the northern wall, in a glass case, there was a green Fender Telecaster. Or at least it looked like a Telecaster. It certainly was handmade, definitely not bought from any shop or produced by Fender, but it matched the shape almost perfectly. Though that wasn't why it was important.

"She used… She used an instrument as her weapon…?" Pearl said this aloud, prompting a few eyebrows from Sam and Lapis. Pearl entered the room and quickly opened the case on the wall, freeing the mint green six string from its glass prison. She held it gently, not sure of how it operated.

"Pearl, what do you mean…?" Sam asked, prompting a followup from Lapis. "Yeah, Pearl, what kind of weapon is a guitar? I mean, it looks cool and all, but don't all gems have, you know, actual weapons?"

"Well of course," Pearl started, "I have my spears, Amethyst has her whip, but it's important to remember that we don't summon those from our gems. The shapes are intrinsically bound to us, we create them each time with our energy. It's not like storing and retrieving an object out of your gem. This instrument was hers. She was able to create this every time, I can tell by holding it. It's just like us, it's made of hard, tangible light. But what I don't understand is how she fought anything with this…"

Lapis had an idea. "Maybe it emits waves or something?"

Pearl scoffed. "Of course it emits sound waves, Lapis, it's an instrument, they all do that. That's how they work."

"No, I mean like, maybe it wasn't for fighting… Maybe it was for helping. Steven showed me this book from a long time ago that he got from his dad, it was for some kind of game. You could be something called a bard and use an instrument to help aid your friends when they needed an edge in battle."

Pearl looked concerned. "What game is this that involves battling? That doesn't sound like a game at all! Does he need help with-"

Lapis cut her off. "No no, Pearl, it's not real fighting, it's like, you write things down and… You know, it's not important… It's just an idea, anyway, I could be completely wrong about that guitar."

"We're bringing it with us, right…?" Sam asked, hoping to not come across as too bold.

Pearl laughed. "Oh, absolutely! I can hardly wait to get back to the temple and try it." Pearl put it in a bubble and sent it off. This, of course, caused Sam to almost lose her composure. She thought that Pearl cast it out of existence.

Pearl picked up on that and tried to set her at ease. "Oh, Sam! Don't worry, it's fine. When we bubble something, we can send it back to the temple in the blink of an eye. It will be waiting for us when we get back."

Sam perked up. "You said 'us' just now… Does that mean I'm invited back to the temple with you…?"

Pearl sighed, but gave a smile. "Of course it does. I wouldn't just steal something that belonged to your mother and never let you see it again. What kind of monster do you take me for? Besides, you've grown on us. Steven liked you from the beginning, of course, but you've charmed Amethyst quite a bit, as well as the other gems, but also you've grown on me. What can I say? You're… You're pleasant to be around. So sure, you're welcome in the temple whenever you like once we unbubble the instrument. Just don't touch anything that looks dangerous."

Sam smiled and hugged Pearl, which caught her off guard. She couldn't remember the last she had gotten a hug from a human that wasn't Greg. She returned the embrace in her own gentle way. It was an odd feeling for Pearl to say the least. But not unwelcome. Greg's hugs felt strange, like they came from a weird place of guilt and attempted repentance. But Sam's were warm, and loving. Pearl felt the genuine feeling of gratefulness and affection that Sam was trying to give off. Maybe humans weren't so bad after all.


	10. Chapter 10: Strong Words

**A.N.: You know, I honestly thought this would only last a few chapters before I was like "Yeah, I should stick to playing music," but people actually like my writing! It's exciting. I really hope that I can pull off Evie the right way. I think I did alright so far, like Sam doesn't have any kind of magical destiny, she's a regular girl who was adopted by a gem. No powers, just musical talent. By the way, fair warning here, at some point, some time down the line, someone is getting unbubbled. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here's chapter 10! Double digits baby!**

* * *

The trio continued to search through the house after Pearl bubbled the gem instrument and sent it into the burning room. Pearl, of course, had little use for most of what they found in the house, but if there were nick nacks that struck her fancy, she would ask Sam permission and then send it back to the temple. Pearl bubbled a few instruments, like a mandolin and a hurdy gurdy, but she mostly looked for ukuleles for Steven. She only found one or two, but she figured Steven would be appreciative anyway.

It was a treasure trove of memories for Sam, however. She felt like a teenager again, going through the books and albums throughout the house. Mal and Evie's room was stacked high with vinyl records of all genres. Sam would make piles of whatever she liked, and Lapis would bubble them and send them to the barn. All told, Lapis had bubbled at least 30 vinyl albums, twelve cassette tapes, several pictures, a Fender Twin Reverb amplifier, and Sam's old seafoam green Stratocaster. Lapis was exhausted by the end of it. She couldn't remember the last time she bubbled anything, and surely it was at least before she was put in the mirror.

She frowned at the thought. Even though the gems shared a lot of stories with Sam, Lapis didn't want to bring up that one. Not because it was painful, though of course it was, she just didn't want Sam to think of the other gems in any kind of bad light. After all Sam had been through, nobody wanted her to feel like she couldn't trust the few people to show her any amount of kindness in her whole life. The ones who were still alive anyway. That was another thought she didn't like. But it was one she lingered on.

Sam said Mal and Evie died in a car accident. Malcolm was likely dead, unfortunately, but did the officer actually tell her how many people were in the wreck? After all, gems don't die like humans do, they retreat into their gems or shatter. Car accidents would likely only cause the former, but if it was a particularly nasty accident, then there's no telling what the case might actually be. Nevertheless, Lapis thought there was a slim chance that Evie could still be alive out there. She wouldn't say anything to Sam, for fear of getting her hopes up unnecessarily, but Lapis couldn't help wondering if that jade were still out there, lost and afraid.

"Alright, you Lapis," Sam began, "I think we've ransacked the place pretty thoroughly. Thanks for your help, by the way. But I can see sunlight peeking through the windows. I think it's time we head back to the barn. Don't want the others to worry." She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Pearl, it's morning! We have to go!"

Pearl's gem light made the others aware of her presence as she scrambled down the hall. "I'm coming, don't leave without me! Besides, I found something you might like!" Pearl quickly found herself in front of Sam and Lapis, and she held out a record in front of them. "I found this one on top of a bookshelf in one of the bedrooms," she said, "I know how many albums you already found, but I thought maybe you missed this one."

Sam examined it briefly. "Oh hey, I know this one. It's got one or two good songs on it… But Amethyst will love it. She liked the cassette I brought with me, so she'll probably listen to this all the way through. Lapis, if you'd be so kind?" she held the square album and its contents in front of her, and Lapis made short work of it. "Great job. But we should really get going…"

Lapis agreed. "If we started now, we would make it back through Delmarva in time to see the end of the slumber party. I just hope all the bubbles that showed up in the barn didn't wake anybody up."

* * *

Back at the barn, the blue bubbles had been showing up one by one for the past hour or so. Most of them were harmless and showed up in the air above all the slumbering partygoers. One, however, appeared right next to Amethyst's head. This, of course, was unfortunate for Amethyst, as it slammed right into the back of her head, waking her from her peaceful sleep in Peridot's arms. She almost yelled at whoever smacked her awake, but her eyes opened to the sight of Peridot curled up against her chest. She couldn't bear to wake that little green nerd from the first real sleep she ever had. But when she turned her head and saw the amount of blue bubbles littering the barn, she had to know more. Resisting any kind of curiosity was a concept that was foreign to Amethyst.

The purple gem slowly and silently wiggled her way out of Peridot's grasp. Success. She stayed asleep. Amethyst had pulled an Indiana Jones and replaced herself with a pillow that was equal in size. With her eyes closed, Peridot didn't know the difference.

With that out if the way, Amethyst turned her attention to the translucent blue sphere that assaulted her. She tiptoed over to it, careful to stay quiet. When she was close enough, she grabbed it and held it under her arm. She recognized the object inside. It was a vinyl record, just like from the collection that Greg had. The gem brought it with her to a corner of the barn where she knew there was a record player before she silently popped it open and held the single, square object in her hands.

"The Mountain Goats, The Life Of The World To Come…" she read out loud. She turned her head to make sure no one had heard her. She only saw her sleeping comrades, much to her relief. She turned the album over and read the track listing. "Why are they all names and numbers…?" she wondered aloud. She decided it didn't matter, it was by the same people who made Tallahassee, so it couldn't be that bad anyway. Amethyst pulled out the black circle and removed the plastic dust jacket. She decided she would start at the beginning. The last Mountain Goats album told a story, maybe this one would too. She was incorrect, but it didn't matter so much.

She placed the needle in the correct groove and held the volume knob low, waiting for the song to begin. As the acoustic guitar came in, she adjusted it enough that she was able to hear.

All the while, Peridot hadn't been as asleep as Amethyst thought. The pillow that Amethyst had replaced herself with wasn't as warm as she was, which left Peridot cold enough that it bothered her. The fire in the wood stove had gone out hours ago, the barn was frigid. Peridot stayed asleep for thirty minutes before she was unable to remain as such. She slowly opened her eyes to disappointment. The pillow in her arms wasn't what she wanted to see. She angrily tossed it aside and sat up. Just then, she realized the barn wasn't as silent as it should be. She turned toward the source of the mysterious music and saw Amethyst sitting in a corner, alone. This was an odd sight. She got closer to investigate when she heard the scratch of a needle against vinyl. All of a sudden, the song that had just ended restarted. That too, the green gem thought, was odd. She slowly approached until she heard the music coming from the record player.

It didn't make a lot of sense to Peridot. Something about eighteen wheelers and airplanes, crashing, but it was all so quiet. Almost whispered by the singer. It was quiet enough that she heard Amethyst sniffle. She looked at her sleep partner and watched from behind as Amethyst wiped her eyes. Peridot decided she would listen closely to this song that had this strange effect on Amethyst. How could music do this to someone? She wanted to know, if only to help her friend.

" _And then came to your bedside. And as it turns out, I'm not ready. And as though you were speaking through a thick haze, you said hello to me._

 _We all stood there around you, happy to hear you speak, the last of something bright burning, still burning, beyond the cancer and the chemotherapy._

And you were a presence full of light upon this Earth, and I am a witness to your life and to its worth.

 _It's three days later when I get the call. And there's nobody around to break my fall."_

Amethyst turned off the turntable and held herself tightly. She tried to keep her sobs quiet.

"Amethyst…?" Peridot said quietly. The purple gem whipped her head around. Peridot could see very clearly a face of Amethyst that she never wanted to see again. She looked like she was destroyed. But she only saw that expression for a moment before Amethyst ran to her, burying her head in Peridot's chest, quickly throwing her arms around the green gem.

Peridot quickly reciprocated, putting her own arms around Amethyst, resting a hand on her back.

"It's ok, I'm here…" was all that Peridot needed to say for Amethyst to lose what weak grip she had on her emotion right now. Cries of emotional turmoil came from Peridot's chest as they both stood there holding one another. Peridot remained silent for a while before she tried her luck with prodding a little.

"The song. That… That happened to you, didn't it?" she paused briefly, but didn't expect and answer. "You had human friends who… Who aren't alive anymore." There was another pause, but this one was so Peridot could put the pieces together. Pearl just apologized for her lack of empathy toward human beings. Sam's arrival seemed to put Amethyst on edge for some reason. Amethyst's best friend in the Crystal Gems was Steven, but before he came along, who did she have? Peridot knew the answer.

"And when they were gone, you kept it all to yourself… Because you didn't think the other Crystal Gems would care…"

Peridot took Amethyst's continued sobs as a yes. The two of them stayed together like this for some time, holding one another closely together in an embrace that somehow seemed warmer than the one they shared in front of the fire.

As Amethyst's sobs died down, Peridot pat her back repeatedly as she had seen on TV. According to Camp Pining Hearts, this was the appropriate way to comfort a sad friend. It seemed to be working well. However, Camp Pining Hearts didn't prepare her for how she felt about the gems that made her best friend feel this way. She didn't care that Pearl and Garnet could probably destroy her in an instant if they were in a serious fight, Peridot didn't take kindly to the fact that they hurt the person she cared about the most. But Amethyst, unexpectedly, began to try to talk to her.

"Peri…?" she said in a low, quiet voice.

"Yes, Amethyst?" she replied, not letting go of her small, purple friend. As she finished speaking, she heard the familiar sound of Lapis' wings outside of the barn. She prepared herself to give Pearl and Garnet a piece of her mind. But before she could...

"Please don't hate them…"

* * *

Lapis set Pearl and Sam down on the ground softly before she disappated her wings and set her feet into the dirt.

Pearl seemed excited. "Sam, thank you for allowing me to raid your mother's instrument workshop. Steven will love his new ukuleles. His old one was getting rather torn up. I really wish he kept better care of it."

"Oh, Pearl, it's no problem." Sam walked backwards as she spoke, facing Pearl as they all moved toward the barn. "I can't stress enough that the kid literally saved my life. So if I can do anything to repay him, I'll do it in a heartbeat."

Lapis began laughing. "Oh Sam, you really need to get to know him better. He doesn't think what he did was a favor to you that needs to be repaid. He just thinks it's the right thing to do. Trust me, he won't hear it if you try to repay him. It's just who he is."

Sam shrugged. "Well, still, I don't mind giving up a few ukuleles. It's absolutely the least I can do."

The three of them were almost inside when Peridot and Amethyst both strode past, hand in hand. Though instead of a friendly walk, it seemed like Peridot was dragging their purple friend somewhere. It was an odd sight. Peridot looked furious and Amethyst was hiding her face behind her hair.

Pearl was the first, and consequently last, person to speak up. "Leaving so soon, you two? But we just got back from Sam's old house, we found so many interesting human things! Old records, musical instruments, books, we were going to go through them all. It should be a fascinating experience!"

Amethyst let out a quick sob, and Peridot stopped in her tracks. She quickly turned to face Pearl. Amethyst tried to hold Peridot back, quietly saying "Peri, no…" but she couldn't stop her. Peridot marched up to Pearl and they locked eyes. What came next shook Pearl to her core. Peridot began speaking in a violent whisper. Not her usual nasally yelling, but a fiery, quiet, threatening hiss.

"You just think all humans are interesting specimens, don't you? Like they belong in a museum of oddities back on Homeworld. I thought the same way, but I very quickly learned that human life is more important than that. Amethyst had friends, Pearl. Human friends. And you never cared. Not when they got sick, not when they got hurt, not when they died. So by extension, you didn't care that Amethyst was devastated when it happened. Time and time again."

This rant was enough to put Pearl on the defensive, but the stare Peridot made the pale gem afraid. This was the first time she viewed Peridot as a threat since before the cluster.

"I made a promise to Amethyst that I wouldn't hate you. This is a promise I'm finding very hard to keep. So to prevent myself from throwing everything I have at both you and Garnet, I am taking Amethyst to Funland, the beach, the arcade, I will take her all the way to Jupiter if that's where she wants to go. My current priority is making her happy, an endeavor that you Crystal Gems have clearly failed at. I will keep my promise, but it will take time. We are leaving. Do not follow us."

Peridot turned on her heel and took Amethyst's hand again. Amethyst kept her face hidden, but followed Peridot. Pearl was flabbergasted. She looked to Lapis for some form of support, some signal that said it was ok to speak up, but even Lapis' face bore an expression of fear and shock. The trio stood there, unmoving.

"BUBBLES!" they heard Steven yell from inside the barn. They didn't react. All they could do was stand there in silence at what just happened.


	11. Chapter 11: A Walk in The Woods

**Author's Note: I don't know what happened, but the traffic for this story shot up yesterday. Got a few new follows and favorites, and again, I want to thank all of you. I've been trying to critique myself, and I noticed that I'm not very descriptive most of the time. I need to slow down and really start visualizing everything and writing it down. I also might be slowing down in the frequency of chapters, mainly because it's really difficult to keep up this pace and the product is suffering because of it. I feel I owe it to you and to myself to put out the best work I can put out. I can't promise that the results will be immediate, but I'm going to make an effort. So without further ado, Chapter 11. Oh also, Amedot. Enjoy!**

Inside the barn, Steven was ecstatic about the bubbles that filled the interior of the barn and unaware of the drama that transpired moments ago right outside. He ran from bubble to bubble, examining everything inside of them. He couldn't wait to open a few of them, so the couple that had ukuleles in them were popped very quickly. His excited shouting had awoken Garnet from her log-like slumber. She didn't ask any questions as she examined her surroundings. The bubbles were the most obvious thing by far, of course, but there was something that troubled Garnet. The only other gem in the barn was Steven. Her worrying was temporarily put to rest when she saw Pearl, Lapis, and Sam enter through the curtain, though the looks on their faces put her back to square one.

"You guys!" Steven yelled, seeing everyone coming back inside. "Where did all of this come from?! What's it all for? What did you do last night? Lapis, are these your bubbles? Why aren't they filled with water?"

Garnet snatched the boy up and ruffled his hair. "Steven, slow down with the questions. I'm sure Lapis and Sam can answer them all for you, so I think you three should spend the morning popping bubbles and enjoying yourselves. I think I need to have a talk with Pearl outside..." The absence of Peridot and Amethyst coupled with the dour expression Pearl was wearing led her to believe that a future she didn't expect to happen had come true.

Steven was content with this plan, and both Sam and Lapis were happy to go along with it. Especially after everything that just happened. They wanted to keep Steven happy because his happiness was infectious. It helped them to move past the rant that Peridot went on. Of course, neither of them would mention this to Steven because they wanted his happiness to last as long as it could before, inevitably, he would be sad later. He didn't like when his family fought. And this fight may be pretty bad. Nobody knew where Peridot was going to actually take Amethyst. But they knew following would do more harm than good. No one knew that better than Pearl, who Garnet had led outside out of earshot.

"Alright, Pearl," Garnet started, adjusting her shades, "You're going to guide me through exactly what happened a few minutes ago"

Pearl wouldn't make eye contact with Garnet. She felt so guilty about everything. Mostly because she thought Peridot was right. So she told the fusion everything, if only so she knew at least Pearl didn't want things to happen that way.

"Garnet, I'm not entirely sure what happened to be honest. I'll try to be brief, but we'll have to talk in greater length about it later. Sam, Lapis, and I flew out to Sam's old house in the woods, we found out that Evie, you remember, Sam's foster mother that she liked so much, was actually a gem. A jade, no less. She somehow made it to Earth, probably after the rebellion, and hid in a house in the woods with Malcolm, who I guess she married maybe? And they adopted Sam together, and we found Evie's weapon in a workshop, but it's not like a traditional gem weapon, it's a guitar that I think we should let Steven try to play, I bubbled it and sent it to the temple-"

Garnet held out her hand to signal for Pearl to stop talking. "Pearl, all of that is fascinating and requires our attention, but like I said, I want to know what was going on with you three, Peridot, and Amethyst just a few minutes ago. We'll talk about everything else later. I know it's important, but our family is more important. Now tell me."

Pearl stared down at the ground as she held onto her left forearm with her right hand, rubbing her arm. "They left together. I don't know where they went… Peridot was leading Amethyst out of the barn, and before they left, Peridot lost it on me. She went on this tirade about how Amethyst had human friends that died and we never once tried to help her through anything. And she's right. We didn't really seem to care when any of her human friends passed on, did we? I feel awful about it already, and I thought I had apologized enough, but apparently not."

Pearl paused to stop herself from crying. She let out a sigh as she shifted uncomfortably where she stood, pivoting so she faced away from Garnet. "Anyway… She told me she promised Amethyst she wouldn't hate us, and she was having trouble keeping that promise, so they left. They didn't say where they went, and I thought following them would make things worse. I have to admit… For a moment, I was actually afraid Peridot was going to hurt me. I wouldn't blame her…"

Garnet sighed and put an arm around Pearl's shoulder. "I'm proud of you for apologizing earlier, but I don't think it was enough. But that's ok. You didn't know. We didn't know. Sure, Amethyst's friends died, but we both thought she knew we were here for her. Looks like we didn't show her how much we care about her."

Garnet brought a hand up to her face and dismissed her glasses. She looked down at Pearl, who in turn, looked back up at her. "When we were stuck in the temple together, I told you that I'm not perfect. I wasn't lying. You and I have a flaw in common that we both need to rectify. I'm no better than you when it comes to humanity. I've destroyed parts of the boardwalk more often than I care to admit. I decimated part of a man's house and stole his phone without a second thought. We claim to protect humanity when we're a threat to all of them too. So it's ok, Pearl. Let Peridot and Amethyst go for now. They'll come back when they're ready. In the meantime, we both have work to do."

Pearl gave half a smile at the bittersweet words that came out of Garnet's mouth. "Amethyst was right…" Pearl said. "We really are bad at this." She stifled a laugh. Garnet smiled and summoned her shades back. "No arguments here." she replied. The two of them were interrupted by a shouting fourteen year old in the barn. "OH MY GOSH, SO MANY INSTRUMENTS!" They both took this as a sign to head back inside. 

* * *

Peridot and Amethyst walked hand in hand in silence for what seemed like ages. Neither knew what to say to one another. Both gems were extremely upset, they knew that, but communicating these ideas was another matter entirely. A wordless agreement was reached between the two, however. When the silence was broken, nothing would be left unsaid. They cared about each other more than either would care to admit, but that wall was going to come down the instant they decided to stop walking. So they didn't stop. They continued moving until their legs, if they had veins, were pumping hot oil. Amethyst couldn't help but recall one of the songs she had heard earlier in the day.

 _But I will walk down to the end with you, if you will come all the way down with me._

She didn't want Peridot to shoulder her burdens. She cared too much about her friend to allow that to happen. If the green gem weren't holding her hand, Amethyst may have run off in a different direction, but she kept thinking back to the tirade Peridot went on earlier in the day. "My current priority is making her happy…" she remembered hearing. The phrase repeated in her head, over and over, making her chest swell each time.

But Peridot was a different story. She meant every word that she said to Pearl a few hours prior. And that was the scariest thing. She was almost certain that she would no longer be welcome with the Crystal Gems. She never even had the chance to incorporate a star in her form. And what about Amethyst? Peridot and Amethyst only knew each other briefly, Amethyst had been a part of the Crystal Gems for centuries. They were family, and family stuck together. No matter what.

Peridot failed to see that this family had started to crack, however, ever since Steven was born. Not to say that Steven caused all of this, but Rose Quartz meant the world to everybody in that family. She was a leader, a role model, and a protector. A motherly figure that the gems all loved dearly. And since the birth of Steven, the Gems were lost in their own issues. Pearl didn't care for anything except Rose, and since she was gone, why should she care about anyone but herself? Garnet had the role of leader thrust upon her with very little warning, and she still hadn't completely come to grips with it. And lastly, Amethyst had no one to talk to anymore. Rose cared about Amethyst's human friends because Rose cared about humanity. Without her, Amethyst's friends continued to perish around her, and there was no one to talk to about it. Steven would probably understand, but he was still young. She wouldn't want him to shoulder her burdens either. But they were becoming too heavy to bare on her own.

The silent hike continued all day, from sunrise to sunset, and even after that. Neither gem knew where they were going, all they knew was what they saw before them. They were surrounded on all sides by douglas firs and sycamores that gnashed and moaned as an unusually strong wind screamed through their branches. The sloping hills and rocky cliffsides they were traversing did not help matters. There was a full moon, but its light was shrouded in clouds, providing no natural illumination. Peridot was using her gem as a light, as most gems were able to do, which made things a bit less difficult. But as a sharper breeze had kicked up, she felt Amethyst's grip tighten around her palm. The silence remained, but she was able to take a hint.

Peridot was able to locate a small alcove in the cliffside they were walking parallel to, and they both wandered inside, primarily to take shelter from the elements, but also to just stop walking. They'd been moving for almost fourteen straight hours. It was time to take a break, not because they wanted to, but they needed it. If they kept going, Amethyst thought they might poof out of exhaustion. She wasn't sure if that was something that could happen, but she didn't want to find out.

The alcove they discovered was small enough that neither gem could stand properly inside. It was, however, deep enough that they could both fit in together. So there they sat in the darkness. Backs against the rock, legs straight out in front of them, hands together with their fingers interlaced. The wind through the trees made a rather unnerving sound not dissimilar to moans of pain. Every time a breeze picked up, Amethyst felt Peridot's grip on her hand tighten briefly. She wanted nothing more than to hold her close, but she felt in inappropriate right now. But Peridot wanted it too. She wanted it enough that she was the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry for what I did. The Crystal Gems are your friends, and even though they put you through…" She struggled to find the words to describe it. "Well, anyway, it wasn't my place to just take you away from them like I did. I probably ruined whatever chance I had to be an actual part of the team after that display. And worse, you probably think I'm crazy… I didn't intend to take you hostage like this. This whole thing was some misguided attempt at protecting you. I'm still not exactly sure what it is that I'm protecting you from. So I apologize. And in the morning, we'll go our separate ways. You, back to the temple, and me… I don't know. I'll just keep walking, I suppose."

Peridot attempted to remove her hand from Amethyst's grasp, but to her surprise, Amethyst wouldn't let her. She stared down at their hands in confusion before turning her gaze to the purple gem.

"Don't apologize for what you did. Nobody's ever stood up to her for me. Not since Steven was born." With her free hand she scooped the hair in front of her eyes up and slid it back behind her head, where her hand stayed. "I think you care about me more than anyone else has since Rose died… Maybe even more than her, I'm not sure. But everything you said to Pearl, I keep going over it in my head. Peridot, you told her you would throw everything you had at her and Garnet. Just for me. You could have said you were going to shatter them or hurt them, but no. You used those words. 'Throwing everything you have at you and Garnet' you said. And, I dunno, maybe I'm reading into this too much… But it makes it seem like you know you can't win that fight. But you'd do it anyway. And on top of that, it's over me... So being as curious as I am, I gotta know, Peri… Why? Why would you try to fight them for me if you know you can't win?"

For a moment, the cave was silent, save for the screaming wind blowing outside. The question lingered in the air like the scent of a home cooked meal that had been eaten hours before. Agonizing moments passed by before Peridot once again broke the deadly silence.

"Because you're worth trying for."

The words echoed in Amethysts head a few times before the impact finally hit her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She remained quiet as she slowly rolled over, on top of Peridot. She illuminated the gem on her chest to provide enough light to see the green gem's face. Peridot looked confused and slightly wary, and Amethyst glowed with a feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time. The two stayed in that position for a moment before Amethyst closed her eyes, whispered "Come here, you nerd…" and brought both of their lips together for the first time.


	12. Chapter 12: The Opening Act

**A.N. Sorry about the wait, I'm trying to stop rushing and put out better chapters. Like I said before, this is gonna be a process so bear with me for a bit. Hope you like it! I also hope a certain little event I included isn't as hamfisted as I think it is, but I'm a bad judge of my own work. Enjoy!**

Steven and the other gems spent half the day in the barn examining everything from Sam's house. It was enough of a distraction that Steven didn't think too hard about why two of his compatriots were absent. Probably a good thing, considering he tends to become emotional about even the most minute things. He really enjoyed the instruments that Pearl brought back, fiddling with the ukuleles the most, but also experimenting with the mandolin and even a hurdy gurdy, though after explaining who the hurdy gurdy belonged to, he set it down gently, afraid to damage it. Sam even had a quick jam session with Steven using one of Mal's old acoustic guitars that Lapis bubble. She had to shake the cobwebs off at first, fiddling around with basic chords, but after a few songs, it was like she never stopped playing. Scale work was the hardest to bring back to the forefront of her memory, but soon she was blasting through them. Pentatonic scales were easy, major and minor even more so, but she managed to pull out a diminished 7th like it was second nature to her. Steven's continuous compliments only caused her to try and impress him more. The back and forth went on for hours.

It was a wonderful way to spend the morning, and it kept Steven from asking any questions regarding his green and purple friends. If pressed, the gems wouldn't lie to him, they just didn't want to see him upset. They all thought that, if given enough time, Amethyst and Peridot would come back on their own, there would be a great reconciliation between everyone, group hug, and everything is back to the status quo, but of course that's not how things worked. Garnet and Pearl had to be an inch away from being shattered before they made up after the whole Sardonyx incident. Perhaps it was in their nature to put things off, and Steven was the opposite of that. He wanted to play an active role in helping friends stay friends.

Steven popped a bubble that had Sam's family picture in it, which of course prompted him to ask who was in the picture. This, in turn, led to Pearl, Sam, and Lapis all explaining everything that happened during the night. Steven was enraptured in the story, his eyes filled with stars for the duration of the tale, but Garnet had heard a much shorter version earlier, so she wasn't exactly surprised by anything new they said.

"So I bubbled the instrument and sent it to the temple, along with other things that might help us figure out exactly what Evie was doing here. Jades, as far as I'm aware, weren't meant for anything other than menial labor. They were put in cleaning crews, non-automated factories and the like. It's strange to me, however, that she hasn't been corrupted. After all, Garnet, Rose, and I were only safe because of Rose's shield. Amethyst was saved because she was still in the process of being made. Bismuth, if what she said is true, was bubbled and hidden away. Everyone… Everyone else…" Pearl didn't want to continue. She regained her composure and changed the subject away from the rebellion.

"In any case, this leads me to believe that Evie came to Earth some time after the rebellion. Of course, how she got here, how we missed it, that's all up for debate. Considering…" She paused for a moment, thinking carefully about her words. "Sam, I apologize if this is a sensitive topic for you, but, well, considering what you said happened to her and your father… I'm not certain we should investigate her further. Her reason for coming here was probably the same as Rose's. She was tired of Homeworld's prejudicial ways, snuck aboard a cargo vessel, stole a ship, something like that. There's no way of knowing. But what we do know is that the instrument she somehow created is a blend of Homeworld technology and human sensibilities. To be completely honest, I've never seen anything quite like it. Which is why I think we should test it out. With your blessing, of course, Sam."

Pearl smiled. She never asked a human for permission to do anything before. She was making good progress already. Amethyst would be proud of her. If she weren't brooding in the woods somewhere, Pearl thought.

Sam smiled at Pearl and nodded. "Absolutely. If everything you said about Evie is true, she'd be thrilled that what she made could be of some use to you. And besides, I'm dying to see you shredding on that thing by sundown."

Pearl let out a small chuckle. "I appreciate your belief in my musical ability, Sam, but I don't think I'm the one who's most qualified to do any of the testing. I'm more of a violin gem. It's much more sophisticated. No offense."

Garnet began to speak before Sam could say "None taken." She rose back to her feet, towering above the others. "We need someone whose abilities are centered around the guitar and the sounds that it makes. Someone who knows how all of this can work, someone familiar with both human and gem mechanisms." She smiled and stared at Steven. "Someone with a van."

Steven realized where Garnet was going with this soon after she finished her last sentence. He inhaled sharply for almost a little too long. Sam was about to say something to him, just to make sure he was ok, but he soon burst out of his trance. "I KNOW SOMEONE WITH A VAN!"

* * *

Steven had called his dad as he and all the currently present gems were heading toward the warp pad. It was a short call, mainly saying "Dad, we have a gem guitar, bring all your sound equipment and meet us at the temple," before the call abruptly ended. No phone was able to get a signal during the warp process, but Steven was sure his dad heard everything that was important.

Everyone was excited to see what this new gem device was capable of, but Sam and Steven especially. They both loved playing music, and they were both exceptional musicians, so they both came to the same conclusion; no matter what this new artifact did, it would rock. But Sam also had another reason that Steven could at least empathise with. It was her mother's. Or at least the closest thing to an actual mother she ever had. This was Sam's equivalent of Rose's sword, and Steven was happy that she might be able to experience the same catharsis he did.

It was around three in the afternoon when Greg showed up with his van. He honked a few times, signifying his arrival, before he got to work setting everything up for a guitar. Half stacks, crazy effects, reverb, and his favorite fuzz pedal. He, of course, was just as enthralled as his son. He was the legendary guitar dad, after all, this was his specialty.

Everyone exited the beach house around the same time, Pearl bringing the bubbled instrument with her under her arm. Steven was the first one onto the sand, however. He was a fast little guy.

"Dad!" he yelled, jumping to embrace his father. Greg caught him, but almost fell over.

"Ungh! Hey kiddo… Man, you're getting big. I think? Maybe you're just getting stronger. Either way, it's good to see you, schtu-ball." he ruffled his son's hair, bringing a small giggle out of the young quartz.

"Greg, we appreciate you coming on such short notice." Pearl said, letting out a breath of relief. "We've had… an interesting 24 hours. We'll spare you the smaller details, but Steven made a new friend whose foster mother was a gem. We visited their old place of residence and discovered this." She popped the bubble under her arm and held out the seafoam colored instrument. "It's an instrument generated from a gem, much like my spears or Garnet's gauntlets. We were hoping that you could help us garner any information possible from this device."

Greg set Steven down and slowly took the instrument from Pearl. He was about to say something when a girl with long, dark, messy brown hair poked her head out from behind the gems and waved. "Uhh, hey. I'm Sam, the friend that Pearl is talking about."

Pearl gasped, her cheeks turning blue with her signature blush. "Oh how rude of me! Sam, I'm sorry." She took Sam's hand and brought her to the front of the gems, right in front of Greg. "Greg, this is Sam. Steven err… befriended her earlier."

Sam held up a hand to stop Pearl. "It's ok to talk about it, Pearl. Greg, your son saved my life today. I almost took it myself. Came real close to biting the big one, but your magic kiddo here was just too kind to let it happen." she smiled at Steven who smiled back, but Greg looked awful, as if he were punched in the gut.

"Oh my gosh… I recognize you. You tried to apply for a job at the carwash like a week ago… Yeah, you had a ragged Pink Floyd sweatshirt and duct tape shoes… I thought you were a junkie or something…"

Sam let out a laugh. "No sir, I'm clean as a whistle on the inside. Just homeless and hungry."

There was a pause. Silence except for the van's radio talking about someone named David coming to Beach City in two days or something. Lapis held the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. She wasn't able to handle the sheer awkwardness of the situation right now.

Greg continued to frown. "I'm so sorry, if I would have known, I would have helped you out somehow…"

Sam shushed him. "It's ok, Mr. Universe. Besides, in a way, you did help me. You're Steven's dad. If you weren't, nobody would have been able to help me. I'd still be in that alley in much worse shape. Don't beat yourself up about it. What's important is that I'm ok now. All thanks to _your_ son."

Greg's smile formed slowly, but when it finally took shape, it was easy to tell that it was one filled with pride. He put a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Just like your mother, kiddo… Helping anyone and everyone. Doesn't matter who they are."

Everyone smiled over the tender moment. They were all truly grateful for Steven's existence. It made Pearl feel guilty that she ever wished Rose were still here instead of him. But she was better now. She couldn't bare the thought of Steven being gone.

"Alright," Greg said, determined, "as much as I enjoy a lovefest, I came here for some gem rock 'n roll!" He grabbed a cable and quickly began to look over the instrument for an output jack. He checked everywhere, even places you wouldn't expect to find one, and came up with nothing. "How do you plug it in…?" he asked. Nobody had an answer.

Garnet spoke up, however. "Well to be honest, none of us have tested it out yet. Like Pearl suggested, this is new territory for us."

Greg dropped the cable and continued to examine the thing. He figured nothing ventured, nothing gained, and strummed a C chord. This turned out to be an awful idea, as immediately, everyone except for himself and Sam doubled over in pain, clutching their gems tightly. Greg shrieked in horror and muted the strings almost instantly. Sam, who was next to Pearl at the time, helped her back up to her feet.

"Greg… Greg that was awful…" Pearl said in between pained sighs. "But it's ok!" she quickly got out before Greg's feelings were hurt. "This is why we're testing it. Maybe… Maybe it only works for gems. Oh Greg! Lets see what happens when Steven plays it! Perhaps… His gem might… Resonate with it? Garnet, help me out here."

Garnet stood back up on her own two feet and adjusted her visor. "Pearl's right… Steven is a talented musician with a Rose Quartz gem. It might be different. Let him try, Greg."

Greg had no qualms with this idea. "Hey, no need to tell me twice. This magic stuff is beyond me. I'm happy you wanted my help, but there's not much I can do without being able to get the sound into my signal chain. Here, Steven." He passed the guitar to his son, who luckily wasn't hurt too badly by the awful, distorted sound of the C chord.

Steven held the guitar warily. "Everyone get ready…" He opted for an A chord this time, though it made no difference. He and the green six string both hit the sand at the same time as all the other gems.

Lapis cried out, as she desperately reached for the teardrop on her back, "It just does that, it just does that!"

Pearl was in an equally painful state. "Ok, that's enough… I'm bubbling it again."

Steven stood up, clutching his stomach, and found that Sam had migrated over to him and was trying to help him to his feet. "Easy, easy… Steven, I have an idea. Can I give it a try?"

Everyone except Steven immediately shouted "NO." at Sam. This instrument was clearly one of only pain and they didn't want to keep going.

Sam attempted to explain, "No, wait, the Universes just played loud chords! What about melody?"

Garnet got back to her feet again and voiced her concerns. "Sam, we appreciate that this was Evie's guitar and one of the most important relics of hers that you found in that house, but this is dangerous. Anything with the power to do this shouldn't be fooled around with. We could all get seriously hurt. If the sound coming out of it matches the frequency of our gems, we could all poof. Or worse, shatter."

Sam had a rather frightened expression on her face. She didn't want that to happen to her friends. She was about to concede when Steven spoke up. He was one of the few who could go against a decision that Garnet made. "But Garnet… She's right. Dad and I just played some sloppy chords with the knobs turned up all the way. I know it's dangerous, but what if we could use it for good? What if it can help us and we just bubble it? We wouldn't know what it's capable of. We could be messing around with something awful or something great, but we won't know unless we try everything. Come on, please, Garnet?"

Garnet's gaze shifted from Sam to Steven, from Steven to the guitar, from the guitar back to Sam, and then finally back to Steven. "This is the last test." Steven shouted in victory and threw a fist in the air. "Everyone with a gem, brace yourself. Sam, please play better than those two."

Sam was unsure, but Steven's words resonated in her. What if this really was something that could be used for helping gems instead of hurting them? If it was capable of harming a gem directly, what if it could aid them somehow? They need to find out.

She put the strap around her and adjusted the volume and tone knobs. They weren't labeled, but that's what they were on every other Telecaster. She took a deep breath. "Sorry in advance if this goes wrong…" With those last few words, she began to play a slow, melodic solo piece in D major Dorian.

Every gem on the beach fell to the ground again, but none of them were screaming. They weren't in pain, and though they held their gems, they were caressing them, not clutching them. Except, of course, for Lapis, who was unable to reach hers.

Pearl's gem emitted the same kind of hologram that it would emit when she dreamt. Sam was too busy concentrating to observe it, but Greg was enraptured. The hologram showed a display of strange images that were very esoteric and abstract. He watched as the Pearl in the hologram shattered and reformed into a strange looking monster. She ran, screaming, until drained, leaving her with no choice but to rest at the mouth of a cave. And from there, she was thrown into the sky, then smashed down into the Earth, exploding, leaving only her gem. But her gem grew into a tree, from which Pearl was grown and fell back down into a giant mouth that swallowed her. When she reached the bottom of the throat, there was no stomach, just blackness. A ball of light formed and grew incredibly large, the size of a planet. If Greg had to guess, he would say it was Earth.

The Earth looked at Pearl, holding her there, asking "Wasn't that fun?" and Pearl apologized to it, saying she was sorry if she hurt anybody. But it quickly cast her into space, tearing her apart again. It said to her as her gem flew off into the cosmos, "Better luck next time, don't worry so much." Pearl reformed and ran until space turned back into solid ground and was so exhausted that she fell asleep once again at the mouth of a cave.

Before the weird dream-like sequence could continue, Sam had finished her piece. The hologram disappeared and every gem heaved a heavy sigh. They didn't need to breathe, but they couldn't help themselves. All of them had tears running down their faces. Not sad tears, not happy tears. In every meaning of the word, they were awestruck.

* * *

After a few minutes of silence, Steven started laughing. And, as Steven's laugh often does, it began to spread. Soon, everyone in front of the temple, gem or otherwise, was laughing hysterically. This continued for quite a while before dying down. Then there was a comfortable silence. It was broken by Garnet, of all gems.

"The last time I felt ecstasy like that was the first time Ruby and Sapphire fused. None of us has any idea what that was, but it can't be argued that it was a bad thing."

Pearl immediately agreed. "Absolutely… It was incredible… Did any of you get eaten and then talk to the Earth?"

Lapis answered, her voice extremely shaky, "No… No, I think each experience was unique… I danced on piano keys and melted into the wood…"

Steven didn't talk. He stayed on the ground, silently smiling. He continued caressing his gem. If one were close enough to him, they would hear him whisper, "It was nice to meet you… I love you too…" ever so quietly.

The sun had set over Beach City. Streetlights came on and the lighthouse had started spinning up. The sky was starless and covered in clouds. The only lights were from the temple and Greg's van. That was ok, it helped the gems come down from whatever it was that had overtaken them.

Sam and Greg were having a private conversation about some kind of mushroom while everyone slowly got to their feet. They hadn't talked to the gems directly during this whole strange event. They thought it might ruin the experience, whatever that experience may have been. Pearl, however, made sure to show how thankful she was for everything by holding Sam as she did once before. She hugged her new human friend and thanked her.

"Sam… I don't know what that was, but… But it was incredible… Garnet said it, that was complete ecstasy. I've never felt more amazing than I do right now, I could take on the diamonds myself!"

Steven was the next gem to join the humans. "Whoa, Pearl, let's not get carried away… Even though I feel about the same right now, let's take a minute here. What was that, anyway? Was any of that real?"

They all stared at Sam for answers, but she had none. "I'm sorry, I just know how to play the guitar. Evie isn't around to give us any info about this. But still, not such a bad thing, is it?"

Steven shook his head, smiling widely. "Not at all! I'm glad that happened. I just wish Amethyst could have been here. Hey, speaking of, where is she? And Peridot, for that matter. I haven't seen them all day…"

And just like that, the vibe was brought down. Everyone knew except Steven and Greg. Nobody wanted to say what happened. But Sam felt she owed Steven her life. The least she could do was tell him where his friends were. And she did. She told him every detail she remembered. It killed her to see Steven's face go from being so happy to completely upset.

"So they just…. Left? And they've been gone all day, and nobody went after them?" Steven wasn't about to cry. He wasn't even all that sad. He knew that Peridot and Amethyst would come back when they were ready. But he was angry. He was angry nobody told him. He was angry that they didn't trust him enough with that information. However, he loved his family too much to yell or scream at them. He knew they felt bad and he knew that they were trying to keep him happy. He couldn't stay mad at them for that.

Steven heaved a sigh and started walking inside. Everyone followed him, some beginning to apologize, but he waved them off.

"Guys, it's ok. Really. I just… I care about Amethyst and Peridot a lot. After everything with Jasper, I feel a kind of connection with them. I mean, I love all of you, but we did that together. We're the shorty squad, you know? I just… Look, it's been a crazy two days and I would really like to just relax right now. Peridot and Amethyst are probably fine, and I know we all need a minute to process what happened today. So if you don't mind, can I just take a nap?"

Pearl sighed contentedly. "Of course, Steven. Rest up. I think you're right, too. We could all use some alone time." She bubbled the guitar and sent it to the burning room as she and Garnet retreated into their respective rooms in the temple. Lapis thanked Steven and Sam for the events that took place that day before she took the warp pad back to the barn. And then it was just Sam and Steven.

* * *

A few hours went by and Sam had fallen asleep on the sofa right next to Steven's stairs. She couldn't stop being surprised by the random kindness that everyone had provided her in the past 48 hours. First, Steven saves her life, which under normal circumstances, would be crazy enough. But in addition, actual gems are just letting her couch surf in their beach house. It was all so surreal and comforting that she almost didn't wake up at the sound of the temple door opening and closing. Almost.

She stared at the and noticed a glowing pink jewel. The same color as Steven's gem. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was about midnight. Rubbing her eyes, she stood up and peeked over the little ledge that separated Steven's "bedroom" from the rest of the house. There was no Steven there. She had lain back down on the couch, watching the temple door. According to the clock, thirty minutes or so would pass before she saw Steven walk out of the temple, gem guitar in hand. He was about to use the warp pad when Sam spoke up.

"Steven." she said in a sing-song voice. Steven froze where he stood as the door behind him closed. She could barely make out a guilty look on his face. She sighed.

"Steven, come on, don't sneak around like this. You saved my life, I thought we were better friends than this. What's on your mind, kiddo?"

Steven didn't move from the spot he was standing in. "I uhm… Ok fine, I'm worried about Amethyst and Peridot and I want to find them but I don't know how and this guitar seems like it can do a lot of things and maybe it can help me find them please don't tell Pearl or Garnet!"

Sam processed the run on sentence that graced her ears before replying. "I'm not your moms, little dude, I'm not gonna boss you around or tell on you unless you're gonna die or something. But seriously? Last time you played that thing, gems got hurt. This isn't a good idea."

Steven sighed, knowing Sam was right. "Out of everyone here, I didn't expect you to be the one to stop me."

Sam giggled and stood up, putting on one of the pairs of boots that they found in the barn for her. "Stevo, I'm not stopping you, I'm helping you. I can show you which direction they were heading."


	13. Chapter 13: Ashen Branches

**AN: Sorry this took so long! Had a bit of writers block, and I'm still not entirely happy with how this turned out, but I had to set up a few things. Also, work was busy, so I didn't have the time to actually write anything for a few days. Not a fun time. Anyway, chapter 13, for your reading pleasure. Hope you like it!**

* * *

Peridot was taken by surprise by Amethyst's sudden display of romantic affection, but she didn't push her away. Against every instinct that Homeworld programmed into her when she was planted in the ground, she welcomed the kiss like one would welcome the coming of Spring after a harsh Winter. It was wrong to feel this way, her mind was telling her, but it felt right. Her fears melted away as she closed her eyes, relaxed her tensed up body and leaned back into Amethyst's lips.

Amethyst felt Peridot's returning affection and let go of the other gem's hand, only to throw her arms around her new partner's body. Peridot returned the gesture and the distance between the two began to slowly close. The two were wrapped within one another, enjoying and savoring every moment. But the moment would not last. Amethyst reached up to touch Peridot's gem, which was glowing a radiant green, and as soon as her fingers made contact, Peridot pulled away.

"WAIT!" she exclaimed as they both gasped for unneeded breath. "Wait…" she repeated. "This isn't… this isn't right." Amethyst was about ready to cry, but Peridot didn't want that. "No, I mean… Look, Amethyst, I like you. A lot. But, I'm sorry, this is going way too fast…"

Amethyst let out a sigh of relief. "Oh that's all… It's ok, Peri. I know you still have some Homeworld hangups about the whole 'love' thing, I'll pull back."

"No, it's not like that… I just… Ugh, how do I explain this without sounding like I don't want this?"

Peridot had pulled herself away from Amethyst's embrace and they both sat the same way they did when they entered the cave. Backs against the wall, hand held tightly in hand. Amethyst offered an additional hand on Peridot's shoulder for some moral support, which she readily accepted. After a few silent moments, Peridot was ready to speak.

"Amethyst, I really do like you. I like you in the same way that Steven likes Connie. You intrigue me enough that I want to know you and be a part of your life. But this… Even though I enjoyed what we did, I'm not ready for that until I know you want the same thing from me. But I also want to know that this isn't just something you did in the heat of the moment."

Amethyst spoke up, "Oh Peri, of course I-" only to be interrupted.

"I'm not finished… Amethyst, I know how much you care about human beings, but I also know that most of your friends ended up dying due to their human condition. And because of that, I wonder… Did you ever have any real long term relationships? Did you ever let yourself get attached to someone? Or did you distance yourself enough that every relationship you had was just some kind of fling? I don't want a fling… I want to know that if we do this, you're in it for the long haul. I need to know that… That you won't get tired of me…"

Amethyst was quiet for a seemingly endless period of time. At least that's what Peridot thought. But the darkness that remained outside signified it hadn't been more than a few hours. Though in reality, it was closer to a half hour. Peridot was just nervous. But their hands never parted during that period, which must mean something good.

"Peridot, I would be lying if I said that some of that didn't hurt. I loved some of my friends. But… You're right about the whole 'getting attached' thing. I've never really opened up to someone, let them in to see the real me. All because I knew they'd be gone in just a few short years. Rose was the exception, but she's not coming back. And I certainly didn't feel about her the same way I feel about you. So I guess I'm trying to say that I agree. We shouldn't just rush into this. We literally have all the time in the world. And with that time, I want to get to know the nerd who's stuck in this cave with me. And we can do it however you want. Just don't go, ok? I know you said you would 'just keep walking' but wherever you go, I want to be there with you, ok?"

If Peridot had a heart it would have beat out of her chest by now. She gave Amethyst a peck on the cheek. "Thank you… Thank you for understanding my trepidation."

Amethyst rested her head against Peridot's shoulder. "It's all good, Peri." Peridot reflected on the meaning of those words. She agreed.

"Yes. Everything is good…"

After several moments of bliss, they began to slip away into their dreams, a green and purple glow emanating from inside the small cavern. A truly romantic sight, were it not for the red glow approaching from deeper in the blackened woods.

* * *

"Okay, let's go over the contents of your cheeseburger backpack one more time. Flashlights?"

"Check."

"Chaaaps?"

"Check."

"Coats and gloves?"

"Check check."

"Maps of Keystone, Delmarva, and Jersey?"

"Triple check."

"Gemcaster?"

"Che- wait, what?

Steven gave Sam a confused look and stopped rifling through his backpack. "What's a Gemcaster?"

Sam smiled and gave a thoughtful head tilt. "Well I mean, the guitar that Evie made _is_ modeled after a Telecaster, and calling it the gem guitar is too verbose, you know? So… Well, Gemcaster."

Steven contemplated the name for a moment before nodding in agreement.

The two children of gems continued going through the checklist they made for the adventure before them. Steven had absolutely no idea where Peridot and Amethyst went. Sam knew the general direction they went, but this was still a long shot. Their plan was to try and track the other gems' footprints or something. But of course, neither Steven nor Sam really knew how to do that. Sam had an ulterior motive. She wouldn't boss Steven around or nag him, that wasn't her place. But she was adept at navigating and surviving, so at best, she could make sure his human needs were met. He was going to search for them with or without her, after all. She couldn't help if he were attacked by a bear or anything, but she could at least make sure he was fed.

Just as they were about to depart via the warp pad, they both heard the sound of scratching coming from outside. Sam was a bit frightened, but Steven gasped in excitement.

"Lion's back!" he yelled, running out the door. Sam followed behind him, but kept her distance. Steven just yelled something about a lion, so she was naturally put on edge.

Steven leapt onto his feline friend's back and gave him a hug. "Oh Lion, you're going to make this way easier!" Sam poked her head out the door with an uneasy look on her face.

"Uh… Steven? I don't think you're supposed to ride jungle cats… Or leap on them and hug them…"

Steven laughed. "Aw, it's ok, Sam. He's a big cuddly furball. He won't hurt you. Come on, climb on with me."

Sam gulped and stepped slowly toward Lion, making sure to not make any sudden movements. As she came close enough to put a hand in the pink feline, she was surprised when he didn't react. She placed another hand on him, then kicked a leg over top. And still, he didn't act violently.

"Ok… Pink lion friend… Not the weirdest thing, but it ranks pretty high on the list… So what do we d-ECH!"

Sam was cut off by the speed at which they started moving. She held on for dear life as Lion took off down the shoreline while Steven was giggling with delight. When she was brave enough to do so, Sam looked up at where they were going. She did so just in time to see Lion open a warp and jump through to the other side.

She couldn't help but recall a scene from 2001 A Space Odyssey as they entered into this strange and geometrical realm. It was as if they all entered the monolith and the universe presented itself to them. Or at least that's how Sam saw it. Steven just continued giggling and shouting "Woo hoo!" He had done this before, multiple times, so the fear had worn away, leaving only the thrill. But soon, their jaunt was over as a portal to their realm appeared before them and they crashed right through it.

Steven kept giggling, even though they were no longer moving, and Sam waited for her eyes to adjust to the new level of light. But it never happened. Steven was on top of things, however, and removed two flashlights from his backpack. He quickly turned one on and saw the forest that surrounded them. The trees were slapping one another with their branches as a strong wind was forcing its way through. It made for an eerie sight.

Steven hopped off of Lion and helped Sam down. Unfortunately, as soon as he did that, Lion was off. Despite the calls after him, he would not turn back. This made Steven and Sam rather uneasy, as they both realized Lion hadn't taken them anywhere near the barn.

"Steven, I don't think we should have gotten off of him…" Sam said with a shaky voice. But Steven shook his head.

"Even if we didn't, he wouldn't have moved. Every so often, Lion takes me where he wants to go instead of where I want him to take me. He's weird like that."

Sam let out a frightened moan. She could navigate if she knew where she was, but for all she knew, they were on the other side of the country. But Steven seemed sure that Lion brought them there for a reason. He handed her the second flashlight and began shouting for Peridot and Amethyst while walking aimlessly through the forest. Sam soon followed his lead.

It didn't take long before Sam had pulled the Gemcaster out of the backpack and started fiddling around with it. She had the volume knob turned down so she wouldn't mess with Steven's gem, but she still needed to discover its abilities.

She fiddled around with some scale runs, barely hearing the twanging sound of an unplugged electric guitar against the windy soundscape that surrounded the duo. She tried a few different scales to make sure she remembered them correctly. F# minor Locrian threw her for a bit of a loop, but she nailed it pretty quickly.

"How can you do that so easily?" Steven asked, shining the light deeper into the forest. "We're walking through the woods in the dark, and you're shredding away like it's nothing."

Sam shrugged. "I dunno, man. Mal taught me pretty well. Lessons every day, always let me learn what I wanted. He would transcribe songs for me just because he knew I liked them. One of his bookshelves was filled with music from different parts of the world, so he would teach me these exotic scales for fun. We bonded through music, playing together, trading riffs off of one another. I guess no matter how long it's been, I just can't forget we shared. It's so great to be able to play it again. You know, in a way, it's like part of him is still alive through the music he taught me. Every chord, every scale, every note that I can pluck is part of Mal. You know what I mean?"

Steven used his free hand to gently touch his gem. "I think I know what you're saying…" he said quietly.

As Steven was contemplating the idea of part of his mother living on in himself, Sam had decided to fiddle with the pickup selector switch. She moved it from the bridge pickup to the middle position, and something strange started happening. She heard moving parts coming from within the Gemcaster. A questioning eyebrow rose on her face as she looked the instrument over. She discovered a hole had formed just behind the headstock. This was puzzling. She never noticed anything like that before. Sam moved the switch to the neck pickup and narrowly avoided a strange, sticky, gel-like string that shot out of the newly discovered hole.

A loud gasp came out of her mouth and Steven looked over to see the long string of goo that stretched from the Gemcaster to a nearby tree branch.

"Whoa…" the word escaped his mouth in a whisper. "What is that…?"

Sam was at a loss for words. "I ah… It's um… I dunno…" She moved the toggle switch back to the bridge position and the string detached itself from the guitar, leaving a mucus-like rope that swung from the branch.

Neither of the two spoke for quite a while. They just stared at the branch expecting something to happen, though nothing did. They eventually started walking again, but they both were trying to wrap their head around whatever that was. It took a few minutes, but Steven eventually broke the silence with another of his signature gasps of excitement.

"It's output! It's output, Sam!" he nearly fell over in his fervor. "I need you to shoot that stuff at my gem and start playing while it's attached!"

Sam was about to object, but even though Steven was a kid, he was still a gem. He knew a lot more about all of this than she did. It should be his call if he wants to try something like this, so she sighed and said, "Alright, lift your shirt and hold still…"

Steven did as instructed, and even illuminated his gem for her so she was better able to see it. However he had begun shivering slightly due to the harsh winds against his exposed belly. He waited impatiently as his compatriot began aiming the instrument at him.

"C-c-come on, S-Sam, it's c-c-c-cold…"

She closed an eye and aimed down the neck at her friend's naval. She flipped the switch and it struck his gem almost too easily. He continued shivering, mostly due to the wind, but also because the sensation of the whole thing wasn't the most pleasant.

"Ok, kiddo, if you're right about this, you may want to brace yourself." Sam turned the volume knob up slightly and waited for Steven to give her some kind of signal. He flashed her a thumbs up and she plucked four notes; A#, E#, G, and E. The beginning of one of her favorite songs. Sam didn't hear anything, but it made sense because the string was like any other electric guitar cable. Instead of broadcasting out into the open air, the signal was going through it. Right into Steven's gem. She observed as tears formed on Steven's eyes. Looks like the kid was right.

"Oh, Steven, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make that happen. Here, let's just…" she flipped the switch back and cut the string short.

Steven wiped his eyes before he wiped the goo off of his gem. It came off easily enough when he applied any amount of force. "It's ok, Sam. It made me feel sad, but now that it's over, I can't even remember why I started crying… It was like it forced it out of me… I actually feel kind of good now. We need to tell Garnet and Pearl when we get back.

"You want to tell them that you stole the Gemcaster and we rode a lion into unfamiliar territory to find Amethyst and Peridot after they specifically said to just leave them alone and we played with the instrument until we discovered it can shoot gooey strings out of its neck?"

Steven chuckled. "Well when you put it that way…"

Sam joined in the laugh and they both continued through the darkened woods, their flashlights barely helping as the freezing wind shrieked through the gnarled branches above them.

Two hours went by, filled with jokes and stories from both Steven and Sam, trading off each time the other had finished. It seemed like a nighttime hike instead of any kind of missing person case. It allowed for some deep conversation, however, as Steven brought up his mother. He talked with Sam about how he felt he was being held to a standard he could never meet. But it was worse than just that.

"Sometimes, when they don't know I'm around, I hear the gems talk about her like she was this amazing hero. She was kind to everyone and did her best to keep everyone safe. But then I found out she shattered someone… And I could never do that. No matter what they did to me. Nobody deserves for that to happen to them. But… But does that mean I'm letting the gems down? That's a bad thought I get sometimes… Other times, I think that they'd rather have Mom back instead of me… And that's a worse one…"

Steven got quiet, save for a few sniffles. Sam couldn't tell if he was crying or if his nose was reacting to the cold. It didn't matter. She put an arm around the boy and held him close.

"Don't ever think that, Steven. They love you so much, maybe as much as Mal and Evie loved me. Maybe more, I don't know. But I do know that you're better than this. You shouldn't feel forced to live up to the expectations of someone else. Just be you. I'm a pretty good judge of character, kid. You're about as amazing as they come. You're a gift, not only to the gems, but to humanity. If there were more of you, maybe the world wouldn't be filled with so many awful things. Look, my point is, I never knew your mom. But I still think you're great, don't I?"

Steven nodded, even if Sam's words didn't help completely. She didn't know everything he did. She wasn't a gem and only recently found out they even existed at all. This wasn't something that could be fixed with just words. But he would have to wait a while to address that problem. He had more pressing matters to attend to. The duo kept an eye out for any sign of green or purple as they kept moving.

Things seemed off the deeper they went into the forest. Trees were bent and broken, rocks were demolished and destroyed like they were nothing, a path of mayhem lay before the duo. With nowhere else to go, the followed it.

"Steven, I'm not sure this is a good idea… Some of these trees look burnt. Like a lot of them. You're gonna need backup for whatever caused all this."

Steven remained steadfast. "But if Peridot and Amethyst are out here, we might be _their_ backup. I don't want to bring back shards, Sam…" The mere thought made him shudder. And the loud growling made him shudder more.

"Steven, I don't like this, can we please turn back?" Sam had whispered all of this, afraid of what was lurking deeper in the singed forest around them.

"Don't worry, Sam, I'll keep you safe. And maybe you can use the Gemcaster to help out if it comes down to it. Whatever gem monster is out here, we don't want to take it head on. Just stay low, stay quiet, and find Peridot and Amethyst."

* * *

Amethyst's dream seemed to have put the past few days events in a blender and mixed them all together into a strange and metaphorical series of images. She dreamt of the woods, naturally, as that was where she and Peridot had spent the most time recently. But she was alone in these woods, traveling aimlessly with no sense of direction.

" _Hello?"_ she tried to shout, but no sound came from her mouth. In fact, the woods themselves were silent. The wind was blowing, but she heard nothing. As she continued walking, however, that quickly changed.

" _Is someone crying…?"_ she wondered. Confirmation came swiftly. She saw light in the distance and ran to it, the darkness unnerving her completely. But she wished she hadn't.

"No, please, I don't want this anymore!" Amethyst saw Sam, covered in deep gashes and cuts, crawling backward away from some unknown assailant. The gem quickly tried to jump in and save her friend from whatever foe she was facing, but found herself blocked by vines that shot through the ground when she came too close. She was helpless to do anything but watch.

Dream Sam had her back against a tree and was begging for her life. "Please… I thought I was welcome with you… If you don't want me here, I can just leave, you won't ever have to see me again! Just-" she was interrupted by an all too familiar looking spear flying right through her chest. The sound of impact was enough to make Amethyst nearly lose her lunch. But none of this was making sense to her, this can't be real.

She took off from the grizzly scene, running deeper into the woods. Every light she saw, she ran past, only hearing fragments of voices she could barely make out. Vidalia, Greg, even Mr. Smiley could be heard begging to be spared. She wanted out, she didn't like this. But in the distance, she saw the faintest light of green.

" _Peridot…"_ she ran as fast as her legs would take her, hoping that Peridot could help her. As she got closer, she heard her name being called. "Amethyst!" it shouted, beckoning for her to come closer.

Amethyst reached the green light and saw her favorite green gem. But only her gem. It lay there on the ground, unmoving. Not a good sight to see. Before she was able to get closer to it, a slender, pale hand picked it up and held it in her fist.

"Much too good for you…" Pearl's voice rang out from all around. It was unclear whether she meant Peridot was too good for Amethyst or vice versa. But Amethyst didn't get a chance to question it.

The crunching sound that Peridot's gem made as Pearl shattered it with her hand was sickening. It brought Amethyst to her knees, and from there, to her hands. Her tears were unstoppable as she made a small puddle underneath of herself. This wasn't Pearl, it couldn't be. Pearl would never shatter a gem. Though the evidence was all around her, Amethyst wouldn't believe it. Her tears seemed to betray that facade. But a glimmer of hope returned as she heard Peridot's voice calling her name again, very loudly this time. She looked up as everything faded into a familiar darkness and her eyelids opened, bringing her back from her slumber.

* * *

Peridot was shaking Amethyst, desperately trying to wake her up. She eventually was successful, as Amethyst's eyes shot open, her breathing turning erratic.

"What, what?! What… Oh Peridot…" the purple gem held Peridot close, not wanting to let go, but there was a much bigger problem that Peridot needed to make her aware of.

"Amethyst," Peridot whispered sharply, "I appreciate the gesture, but be quiet! Look!" she gestured to the woods with a shaky finger and Amethyst saw it. A giant corrupted ruby's gem was glowing right at the mouth of their cave. And seconds after Amethyst looked, she saw six black eyes open around the red stone.


	14. Chapter 14: A New Kind of Lullaby

**AN: Sorry for the delay! Some writers block got in the way, but the presidential elections made me want to distract myself as much as possible. And considering I couldn't really escape them any other way, I forced a bit of this chapter out of me. But it's ok, because I think it turned out decently. Once again, sorry about the wait, I hope this is worth it. I'm not the best at finishing things that I start, and I'm going to do my best to make sure this isn't one of those instances. Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Sam and Steven continued their trek through the path of burnt trees and ash that whatever they were following had left in its wake. The smell of sulphur grew stronger with every step the duo took. It wasn't long before Sam had brought her shirt collar up over her nose in a futile attempt to mask the rotten egg smell that wafted through the air.

Steven's feet, unprotected from the elements due to his flip flops, had become black from the charcoal that littered the forest floor. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem for the boy. His feet got dirty all the time. But it became an issue when the charcoal had started to get warm. Soon after, the ground they were walking on was burning hot.

"We're close…" Steven whispered, trying to walk on the edge of the war path that stood before them.

"Steven, listen…" Sam harshly whispered, stopping in her tracks. Steven followed suit.

For the most part, Steven just heard the wind flying through the barren branches. But if he concentrated, he could hear scratching. Like rock against rock, the sound of removing the lid of an ancient sarcophagus.

Steven sped off, Sam following right behind him, the key word, of course, being "behind." The thought of taking on any kind of monster out here in the dark terrified her. But she believed in Steven's ability. She was sure she would turn out ok.

But before she could put any more thought into her current predicament, she found herself held back by Steven's outstretched arm. She almost questioned him, but quickly saw why he was doing it.

Before them, bathed in a red light emanating from inside itself, was a large, corrupted ruby.

* * *

Its shape was grotesque, having these massive, muscular arms that it used to move around. Its legs were small, sharp stumps that it was using to scrape at the cliffside that stood before it. The whole of its body was covered in some kind of rocky scales, mimicking that of a pangolin's. The head was, by far, the most disturbing. Its mouth was a circle of teeth that remained open at all times, drooling molten rock from the open maw. The gem that lay in its forehead was surrounded by six eyes that never seemed to quite close at exactly the same time. It was as if it wanted to keep watching Amethyst and Peridot, no matter what.

Amethyst was scared, but tried her best to not show it. She wanted to pull out her whips and teach this corruption a lesson it would never forget, but the cave that she and Peridot were in was too small for her to move with the finesse she was usually capable of. Even if she summoned her weapons without the corruption noticing, she would scarcely be able to use them effectively. As soon as she tried to get a hit in, their cave would be flooded with molten lava, destroying both of their physical forms as well as melting their gems. She had to admit, she never thought it would end this way.

Peridot held Amethyst tightly, trying to make sure neither of them moved an inch. She thought maybe they would survive if they just kept still. Maybe it wouldn't notice them and it would move on. She was 99% certain that this was the end for both of them, but after everything strange that had happened to her in the past months, she was able to hold on to that one percent for dear life. And the one percent happened to present itself in the form of a small rose quartz gem and his human companion.

A loud clang rang out, loud enough to scare any birds away, were there any in the woods to begin with. The corrupted ruby turned its head around on a horizontal axis with a disturbing scraping sound. Its gaze met Steven's, who had already thrown another shield discus right at it.

The pink projectile did little to harm the beast, as it bounced right off of its hard, scaly body. Though it did provide a much needed distraction to allow the trapped gems an escape route, which they took immediately. They moved out of there so quickly, Steven didn't notice them. Not that there was enough time to do so, anyway. The creature lunged after Steven, who bubbled himself and prepared to be launched back into the forest. But liftoff never happened.

Amethyst, who was now free to move about as she pleased, had swung both whips around the corruption's shoulders, rendering it unable to advance on the boy.

"Hurry, Steven!" Amethyst yelled between strained grunts. "I can't hold it there much longer!"

Steven processed the situation quickly before dispelling his bubble and bringing his shield back out. As soon as he did. The beast raised its head and began spraying its fiery bile at him. The boy merely held his shield up, diverting the lava spew around him. He smiled, as the plan was coming together.

"Now, Sam, she's wide open!" Steven yelled.

Sam had spent most of the fight climbing the most in tact tree she could find. When the whips wrapped around the monster's arms, she had gotten in position, mimicking a sniper in some ways. She aimed right down the neck of the Gemcaster at the ruby's gem. With its focus on Steven she had a clear shot at its gem. Letting out a steady exhale to keep her aim on point, she flipped the switch and sent the string of gel right onto its target. Seeing the shot land, she declared, "Bullseye!" before launching into the diminished seventh scale, hoping for something to happen.

If her goal was to cause loud shrieks, she succeeded in spades, but the corruption was still standing. If anything, it was behaving more erratically, more dangerously. She switched tactics immediately, going into a soft, Ionian major scale.

She kept at it for a while, watching the lava spray slow to a stream that dribbled out. Before too long, the creature had fallen backwards, its eyes closed. And from its glowing red gem, a projection appeared, going right through the gel from the Gemcaster and displaying on the cliffside.

While Sam continued playing, Steven dismissed his shield and watched the scene playing out before him. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the corruption was sleeping.

While it was true that gems did not require sleep, that did not mean that they couldn't. Amethyst knew this best of all, as she practiced this ritual almost nightly. However, as it's become apparent through Pearl, one's dreams may be projected during this period of time. It doesn't happen to every gem, but it appeared that it was happening to the ruby that lay dormant on the ground in front of them.

To Steven's horror, he saw the ruby that this monster used to be. He watched her being swallowed by a violent ocean, forced into unknown depths until she cracked from the pressure. Her form didn't dissipate, however. She remained alive, but parts of her began melting away. Eventually, she was nothing but a writhing mass of some strange, jelly like substance. In this state, she drifted to the bottom of the sea floor, where an impossibly small hole sat. She was forced through it and reformed, screaming in equal parts fear and pain, until she fell into the violent sea and repeated the process again.

By the third time the Ruby had fallen into the sea, Amethyst could no longer stand to watch. She plucked the gem out of the corruption's physical form, poofing it in the process. She immediately bubbled it and sent it into the burning room.

The sun had risen enough to illuminate the woods enough that everyone was able to see each other. Though the sky was completely overcast and the wind had only picked up, there was still _some_ light shining through the clouds.

Peridot and Amethyst stood hand in hand across from Steven. The three of them were paralyzed by fear and sadness at what they just witnessed. Is this what every corruption experiences? Is this what happens to their mind? Do they still feel this when they're bubbled and poofed? Are some of them too far gone to ever be ok again? So many questions hung in the air with no answers for any of them.

During this silence, Sam had climbed down from the tree with the Gemcaster on her back. She hadn't seen what happened, as she was focusing on remembering her scales and not slipping from the branch she was precariously situated on. So when she joined her comrades and cheered, it was a bit unceremonious.

"Woohoo! Oh yeah, we did it, guys! We took that monster down! And I can't believe I was able to help! That was so cool! And you, Steven, your shield is awesome! I didn't… Didn't know you ah… could, you know… throw it…"

The deafening silence finally got her attention.

"Everything ok…? I didn't screw anything up, did I?"

Nobody answered Sam. Peridot and Amethyst actually turned away for a moment, conversing with one another. This left Steven alone, contemplating exactly what they all just witnessed. An idea began forming in his head, but it was only a passing thought at first. He was definitely not in the right frame of mind right now to consider any ideas. He would save the thought, however.

Several minutes went by of Amethyst and Peridot quietly talking with one another. Sam had placed a hand on Steven's shoulder to comfort him. He looked like he saw a ghost. While it didn't seem to help much, it certainly wasn't unwelcome.

Sam observed the two gems as they talked. She was sure she saw tears glistening in Amethyst's eyes on a few separate occasions. There was a lot of hugging, but that was normal. She and Steven both saw them kiss one another, which was a bit odd in Sam's mind, but she just assumed it was a gem thing. As for Steven, he knew it wasn't just a gem thing. In fact, it was the only thing that could get him to smile after everything they saw.

Just before Steven was about to address everyone, Peridot and Amethyst turned around, holding hands, and the green gem began speaking.

"In light of extremely recent events, Amethyst and I have decided that this new information about corruption is much bigger than whatever problems she or I have with the Crystal Gems back at the temple. We will be returning with you without resisting. In exchange, we expect you to tell us both what exactly that… instrument… can do to gems. But no matter what, we all need to get back to the temple and explain what we saw as soon as possible."

Steven smiled and let out a sigh. He was hoping it wouldn't be difficult to drag these two back home.

"Uhh…" Sam interjected, "That's all well and good, but you guys walked here. Steven and I took a lion, and still ended up walking for a few hours just to get here. And if the skies are any indication, it's about to start storming. So how exactly do you plan on getting back so quickly?"

Amethyst let out a short chuckle. "I guess I can bring back a classic. But I'm only flying us to the closest warp pad. This takes a lot outta me…"

Before Sam could figure out what that meant, Amethyst had shapeshifted into a large, purple helicopter.

* * *

Garnet and Pearl were both sitting in front of the warp pad in the temple. There was quite a disagreement between the two about what should happen once they discovered Steven and Sam were both gone, but Garnet's future vision won out. Though to be frank, it was also common sense. Neither gem knew where the pair had gone or if they even used a warp pad to begin with. Pearl was adamant about searching anyway, but Garnet reminded her that Sam was with Steven and the Gemcaster was missing from the burning room. So if they were attacked, they had a powerful way of dealing with whatever came their way, even if they didn't fully understand what it was they had.

Speaking of the Gemcaster, the instrument was dominating Garnet's thoughts. This gem artifact was able to do some very, for lack of a better term, weird things with gems. Excluding the events that she and Pearl weren't privy to in the forest, they already knew it was capable of both harming gems in excruciating fashion, and give them some strange kind of waking dream, the effects of which were still felt. Garnet noticed that Pearl, though she was still fuming at what Steven and Sam did, still bore the deep blush of ecstasy on her face that showed up hours ago. And she herself could feel Ruby and Sapphire even closer with one another, a feat she thought was nigh impossible. It was as if whatever bad feelings they were harboring in that moment were dealt with and eliminated through the power of a major scale. A ludicrous idea, for sure, but the only one she had.

And then it clicked. An idea that might change everything. An idea that they needed to test out right now. Which was convenient, as Sam, Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot had all warped back into the temple in that short moment.

The four were laughing for a moment when they noticed Pearl staring daggers into the group of them. Quickly, their laughter died down. Peridot slowly slid behind Amethyst, and Sam put her hands on Steven's shoulders, trying to keep him comfortable before they were all scolded.

"Well?" Pearl said, waiting impatiently, "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Sam was about to speak up on Steven's behalf, but she was quickly interrupted by Garnet.

"Pearl, we'll have to save the arguments about listening to rules and running off without telling anyone for later. I think we might have something much more important on our hands right now. Amethyst, Peridot, head into the burning room and carefully bring Jasper's bubble out here. We'll take her to the beach and surround her when we unbubble her. No buts, no questions, just do it, everything will become clear later."

The green and purple gems looked at Garnet incredulously, but obeyed. The way she spoke, it seemed like Garnet thought time was of the essence. Pearl looked at Garnet like she had lost her mind.

Garnet took the Gemcaster from Sam, who didn't object, and began looking over it with interest. "Ok, Sam, Steven, while you were out there, did you learn anything new about the gem guitar?"

"Gemcaster," Steven corrected.

Garnet waved it off. "Sure, Gemcaster, but did you learn anything new?"

The two looked at each other and started to tell the story of everything that happened. Lion, the weird webbing that shot out of the guitar, how it affected the corrupted ruby they found, everything. Garnet was paying steadfast attention, absorbing every word, but Pearl seemed almost dumbfounded. She was picking up on what Garnet was trying to do, but surely this random instrument wasn't more powerful than Steven's healing powers. And in a way, she was right. It couldn't heal gems in the traditional sense. It probably couldn't fix them if they were chipped or almost broken. But according to the story she was hearing coupled with the experience they had earlier to back it up, Garnet might be on to something.

Just as the story was finishing up, Peridot and Amethyst came out of the burning room with Jasper's bubbled gem. Amethyst held it as if she were afraid it could explode.

"Alright," Garnet started, "Gems, out onto the beach. Put Jasper's bubble on the sand and wait for my instructions."

All of the gems began leaving the beach house one by one. Garnet was the last gem to leave, with Sam remaining inside, on the couch. She sat there for a few minutes, sighing. She was tired, so it wasn't terrible that she be left out. Her eyes were about to close when she heard the screen door open up. It was Garnet, still holding the Gemcaster by the neck.

"Sam, what are you doing? I said Gems outside."

Sam stood up, staring at Garnet confused. She gestured to, well, all of her, and attempted to insinuate that she was a human. "Uh, Garnet, I'm not a gem. I'm just some punk kid from Keystone who can play the guitar."

Garnet smirked. "Sam, Steven saved your life and he's friends with you. You're the rightful owner of a gem weapon. And last night, I'm fairly certain you only went with Steven because you knew you couldn't overpower him, talk him out of it, or distract him enough to stop him. Which means you went with him because you wanted to make sure he was safe. That makes you as much a Crystal Gem as any of us." She finished her last sentence with a shrug.

Sam smiled widely and rushed out the door, grabbing the Gemcaster from Garnet on the way. Garnet returned the grin, happy to have a new member of the team. Sure, she was human, but so was Connie. And considering she was the only one who seemed to be able to competently play the strange instrument, she was a valuable asset.

"Alright already, Garnet, can you explain to us what we're doing now?"

Garnet slowly made her way down the stairs, summoning her gauntlets halfway down. Pearl and Amethyst took the hint and summoned their weapons as well, though they weren't sure exactly why.

"Alright, Gems, if what Steven and Sam said was true, corrupted gems are in a constant state of nightmarish torture. When they're bubbled and unable to form, it's fine, but at the same time, we don't want them to stay bubbled. Currently in our midst, we have someone with healing powers and the ability to enter into others' minds via dreams. We also have someone with an instrument that has, probably amongst other powers we are as of yet unsure of, the ability to clear gems' minds and also put them to sleep. So without beating around the bush anymore this morning, I'll put it bluntly. We're going to uncorrupt Jasper."


	15. Chapter 15: Lucidity

**AN: Sorry about the delay, I had another story idea that was closer to my heart and I had to work on it. Its called "Coming of Age" and is a shorter story over all, but it means a lot to me and I needed to get it out there. One chapter out of only 2 or 3 is up right now, but check it out if the idea of Steven struggling with gender dysphoria appeals to you. All gems are female, after all. But this isn't that story, this is The Outsider! And I have a new chapter for you. Enjoy!**

* * *

Everybody on the beach was staring at Garnet like she had gone crazy. Justifiably so, it seemed.

"I'm sorry," Amethyst almost chuckled, "I must have too much earwax, I thought you said we were letting Jasper out." Not understanding the joke, Peridot started examining Amethyst's ears for this "wax" she spoke of. Amethyst swatted her hand away gently.

Pearl voiced her concern as well. "Garnet, you can't be serious. Even if those two can cure corruption, which, by the way, we don't even know for sure, why Jasper? Why not, oh I don't know, _literally any other gem?!_ "

Garnet's expression remained stoic and unchanging. "Of all the gems we have bubbled, aside from Bismuth, Jasper has been corrupted for the least amount of time. It stands to reason that she would be the easiest to work with. Besides, according to my future vision, there's a very good chance Steven would try to do this without us anyway. Might as well make sure it's safe."

Steven laughed nervously, shifting his gaze to the sand underneath his feet. Though he didn't look, he was sure that Pearl was staring angrily at him for something he hadn't even done yet.

Sam laughed much more genuinely. That sounded just like Steven, helping everyone he could. That was how she ended up here, after all. She spoke up. "I only know what you guys told me about Jasper. But if we're all here, we can solve whatever problems she gives us no sweat, right?"

Pearl, who had crossed her arms, replied. "Sam, Jasper is a dangerous and violent gem. She's hurt everyone here except you in some form or other. But if Garnet is correct and Steven's curiosity and selflessness gets the better of him anyway, then I agree with Garnet. Also, if what you saw in the woods is accurate, then we need to figure out the mechanics of corruption as soon as possible. I can't imagine the pain that those wild monsters are going through…"

Amethyst, who had gotten some of the worst of Jasper in the past, relented as well. "Jasper may suck pretty hardcore, but nobody deserves that… I just hope she can't feel it when she's bubbled like this."

Garnet clasped her hands together. "Well then it's settled. Here's what we're gonna do…"

She shared the plan she had with the rest of The Gems. It was a bit shaky, not the safest plan in the world, but it deserved an attempt. It involved a lot of variables that nobody was quite sure of yet, but this would be the best way to experiment anyway.

"Alright, so everyone knows what to do? Sam, Steven, you know your jobs?" the two of them nodded at Garnet. Amethyst raised a hand, and Garnet acknowledged it.

"Ok, so like, what if this doesn't work? What do we do?" Amethyst dropped her hand and grabbed for Peridot's, which she found rather quickly.

"Well," Garnet started, "worst case scenario, we beat her back into her gem."

Pearl also had a question. "Garnet, even if we can cure her corruption, what if she isn't so friendly when she's back to normal? What if she-" Garnet cut her off.

"Worst case scenario," she repeated, slowly and harshly, "we beat her back into her gem. I trust there are no more questions. I've already given you the answer to all of them."

Nobody said anything. Sam had gotten the Gemcaster in position and Steven was waiting anxiously to pop the bubble.

"Good." She summoned her gauntlets and the other gems, save Peridot, summoned their weapons as well. Noticing the sudden armament of her comrades, Peridot very slowly bent down and picked up a small, blue, plastic shovel Steven had left on the beach. She held it out as if she would stab Jasper with it. It wasn't much, but it was all she had at the moment. Amethyst noticed this series of events and did her best to stifle her laugh. This was supposed to be serious.

"Whenever you're ready, Steven." Garnet nodded to the boy and Steven took a deep breath.

Steven licked one hand and popped the bubble with his other. As soon as Jasper's gem was free, he slapped it, covering it in his healing spit. He jumped back as the gem began hovering and illuminating. Quickly, Sam shot the output webbing from the Gemcaster at the gem and began playing the same solo piece she played in the woods, hoping to put Jasper to sleep quickly.

They all watched as Jasper attempted to take form. The bright silhouette started as normal Jasper, then moved to her corrupted form. They thought it was no use, but it soon appeared that Jasper was fighting it. Her form was rapidly switching from her humanoid version to the corrupted one before finally settling on a sort of "in between."

She looked odd. Only one eye was visible, and the entire right side of her was covered in blue and pink spikes. She opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out was a pained gurgling. She shoved a clawed hand into the sand and tried to stay standing, but the Gemcaster left her without the energy to do so. She fell to the ground, but slowly clawed toward Steven. The Gems got in her way, but there was no need. Sam's playing intensified, and Jasper was out like a light.

As soon as they were sure Jasper was asleep, Sam flipped the switch on the guitar, letting the webbing drop and slowly deteriorate. She quickly aimed at Steven, who was holding his shirt up, exposing his gem. Another piece of webbing shot forth and hit the pink quartz gem, and once again, Sam played her lullaby. Steven laid down and closed his eyes, drifting into the dreamscape once more. Sam switched targets back to Jasper and kept playing the lullaby. Jasper needed to stay asleep for as long as possible.

The other gems heaved relieved sighs. Amethyst fell backwards into the sand, bringing Peridot with her. They both were laughing, blissful that everything was working so far. Pearl and Garnet, however, seemed to remain a bit tense.

"Do you think he can do it?" Pearl asked.

"Of course he can," replied Garnet. "He's Steven."

OoOoO

Steven soon found himself hovering in the middle of a large, black abyss. It was unsettling, as it usually was, when he entered this state of being. His own dreams were pleasant, if not weird. But this wasn't just a dream, it was a collective unconsciousness, a vast plane of everyone's dreams. He scarcely knew exactly how to navigate to where he wanted, so some experimentation took place. First he tried swimming through the air, which did nothing. Doggy paddling really only worked in some kind of liquid. So instead, he thought of the area as if it were in fact a dream. That got him a bit further, as his feet started emitting a jet-like trail of flame, propelling him forward.

"It's just like Kiki's dream…" he thought. But he wasn't entirely correct, as he soon discovered. He was flying into more darkness, nothing of note around him. So he halted, his jets turning off. And during his pause, he began to concentrate.

"Jasper… I need to think about Jasper. No, I should probably try to think _like_ Jasper… But what does she think about other than hating my mom? Well… If she's like that Ruby, she might be thinking about how much pain she's in… But what kind of pain? What's Jasper's worst nightmare…?"

It wasn't a thought Steven wanted to have, but he had no choice if he wanted to help Jasper. His mind formed a few ideas, but the one that stuck out the most involved two relatively new facts he had learned. The first was that Jasper's diamond wasn't Yellow Diamond, but Pink Diamond. The second was that his mother shattered Jasper's diamond. It was a feeling that was very similar to watching one's mother die, Steven assumed, empathy starting to form within him. And as it did, he heard the cry of a wounded warrior from behind him. His eyes shot open and he turned to see a small bit of light in the distance. With newfound determination, he set off.

"Jasper!" he yelled, but received no response. He shouldn't have been surprised, however. Jasper would likely assume that Steven was a part of the nightmare as well. But it didn't slow him down.

He kept flying until he came to a strange and otherworldly structure. It had geometry that didn't seem possible, parallel lines that somehow intersected, shapes that simultaneously had six and twelve sides. Its color could only be described as yellow and orange at the same time, not a combination of the two. It was a headache just to look at, so he continued to build his resolve. He listened again for Jasper and followed the screams he heard.

When Steven had finally gotten close enough to observe what was happening, his curious gaze was met with a frantic Jasper trying to put pink gem shards back together. For the first time, Steven saw tears streaming down the orange quartz's face. But his stare was torn away by something that shook him to his core; his mother's voice.

"Jasper, Jasper, Jasper… Not even strong enough to save your own diamond." Rose Quartz stood tall, her sword at the ready. But her blade wasn't prepared for Jasper. It had a more nefarious purpose behind it.

"Please stop this!" Jasper's hoarse voice had rung out. But it was no use. Rose, or at least this version of her, wouldn't listen to any begging. She just laughed. At the snap of her fingers, the pink gem shards at Jasper's feet had disappeared and relocated in a pile right in Rose's hands. Jasper watched in horror as Rose began crying, her tears landing on the pile of shards and allowing the diamond to heal. But this wasn't an act of kindness.

"Please, just let her reform! Don't do this!" Jasper was pleading, but it had no effect. Rose continued tittering as she set the diamond on the ground and let her sword dangle over it, blade pointing down.

"Beg harder, Jasper, maybe it will work this time," she said. Jasper, for some reason, complied.

"Rose Quartz, please, just leave her alone, I would gladly take her place, shatter me! Spare her!" tears continued streaming down Jasper's face.

Rose looked like she was contemplating the idea for a moment before she let go of her sword and allowed it to fall blade-first into the gem, shattering it on impact.

"Oops! Butterfingers!" her laugh was disgusting.

While the sight was enough to make Steven sick, he couldn't imagine how Jasper must be feeling. He glanced at her, wondering why she wasn't attacking. He only now saw that Jasper's legs were held in place by a strange looking vine. It no doubt belonged to this strange version of Rose.

While Steven was letting all of this sink in, Rose had already begun the healing process for the diamond. As soon as it had become whole again, it was placed on the ground, Rose raising a foot right above it.

"It won't get better, Jasper. Just accept defeat. Oh, excuse the pun!" she giggled again and slammed her foot down. Jasper screamed out, watching in horror as she expected to see her diamond shattered yet again. Surprisingly, she didn't see that. Instead, she saw a shield slide right above it, blocking Rose's foot from coming down.

"But that's… That's my shield…" Rose and Jasper shared the same look of confusion. They both turned their heads to see Steven, brandishing a new shield on his arm already. He leapt down from his vantage point and landed in front of Jasper, his back turned to her, his shield protecting both of them.

Rose Quartz began laughing again. It was a deep belly laugh. "Oh it's me! How delightful! My my, I didn't expect this. Come to join the fun? There's room enough for more of-" she was cut off by Steven's shield flying right into her cheek.

Steven stood still, determination and a hint of vitriol in his eyes. He didn't take his eyes off of this horrible distorted version of his mother, this deranged copy of Rose Quartz. It chilled Steven to the bone, but he didn't show it.

Slowly, Rose turned her head to meet Steven's gaze. She was furious. "Who do you think you are?!" She screamed at the boy. Steven replied with only four words.

"I am not you…"

Silence filled the strange non-euclidean room the trio were standing in. Jasper wanted to scream in frustration, but her mouth remained silent. Steven, still being the son of Rose Quartz, was able to manipulate the vines that held Jasper in place. When he focused, they began to withdraw back into the floor. He surmised that this wasn't due to any new power, but mainly due to the fact that this was a dream. The reason didn't matter, but the end result most certainly did. Jasper was now free of the thorny grasp.

Steven dismissed the shield on his arm, leaving Jasper slightly dumbfounded. The false Rose Quartz shared the same look. Steven folded his arms and stepped a few feet to the side, giving Jasper a straight shot

"You look like my mom, but I know you're not her. She's not here anymore, Rose Quartz is dead!" Tears stung the corners of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "She turned into me… But even if you were her, I would do the same thing. Shattering gems is wrong, no matter who they are. And to make sure you learn, I think Jasper wants to teach you a lesson you won't forget."

Silently, an agreement was made. Steven stood still as Jasper summoned her crash helmet and charged into the image of his own mother, spinning faster than she ever had before in a peach colored whirl. It didn't bother him in the slightest, however, because even if that wasn't just some corrupted vision of her, she would still deserve it. And with that gesture, he accomplished what none of the other Crystal Gems were able to do. He did the impossible. He let go of Rose Quartz. And oddly enough, it was thanks to Jasper that he was able to do that.

Jasper's screams continued, but morphed into battle cries, anguished yells of revenge and catharsis. Steven watched as Jasper headbutted her sworn enemy into the wall. Slowly, the wall became the floor, and slowly, Jasper realized that she was headbutting the orange tile that made up the floor beneath her. This Rose Quartz had retreated into her gem and her form was no longer there to be pounded.

Jasper fell to the floor, exhausted and spent of what anger she had in her. She remained there for some time, hunched over and breathing heavily. Her tears had stopped, but only because she didn't have any left. She was so close to being broken, and not in the literal sense.

Her breathing was so heavy that she didn't hear the sound of Steven's flip flops as he approached her. He stayed a good few feet away before he spoke up.

"Jasper…?" he said, holding out Pink Diamond's gem as far as his arm would allow, "You should have this…"

Jasper quickly got up and stared at him. She looked like she was waiting for something to take her down again, more vines maybe, perhaps even yet another Rose Quartz. But nothing happened. She reached out slowly and snatched the diamond from Steven's open palm. Even when she was holding the gem close to her heart, she still looked afraid, as though at any moment, it would shatter in her hands. But it didn't.

"It's ok, Jasper. I'm not going to do anything to Pink Diamond. Nobody is. Are you… Are you going to be alright?"

Jasper didn't respond. She backed away from Steven, clutching the gem for dear life. Her crash helmet stayed on her head. Steven didn't blame her. She was scared, and to be honest, so was he. But he had an idea that might at least help. He picked up the Rose Quartz gem from the floor.

"Jasper, I'm here to help you. I know you don't believe me, especially if you think I'm just like what's in this gem. But that's not me. I'm not Rose Quartz. I might be her son, but I would never do anything like this… I want to help, but you have to trust me. Do you understand?"

Jasper stared daggers into Steven. But she didn't attack him, so at least they were off to some sort of start.

Steven sadly smiled, staring at the gem in his hands.

"Well I guess we have one thing in common… You didn't shatter her. Even though she did awful things to you, you didn't step on her, or headbutt her into dust. Can I ask why…?"

Jasper finally spoke. "I would never stoop to your level, Rose."

Steven sighed. "I'm not Rose, Jasper. Just because I'm her son doesn't mean I am her. You just saw me save Pink Diamond's gem and let you pummel Rose Quartz back into her own gem. I even gave you Pink Diamond once you finished."

Jasper remained skeptical. Just eyeing up Steven, waiting to parry an attack that wouldn't come. Steven thought for a moment before holding up Rose's gem. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Jasper, this isn't real." as he said those words, the Rose Quartz gem faded from existence, disappearing.

"The vines that held you to the floor, they're not real." Jasper looked over and saw them disappear in the same manner.

"This room, this whole complex, none of it is real, Jasper." With every word, their surroundings disappeared until a sea of blackness surrounded Steven, Jasper, and the pink gemstone Jasper was holding onto.

"Even Pink Diamond's gem isn't real, Jasper. But you and I are. We're in your head, and I'm here to bring you out. If you don't come with me, I can't promise all of that won't come back after a few hours. Please, I helped you up to this point, let me bring you back."

Jasper stared at Steven for a long time. It seemed like at least a full hour. But eventually, she removed the gem from her own grip. She held it out like Steven had done and stared at it intensely. Tears threatened to leak, but she stopped them through sheer force of will. Slowly but surely, the gemstone faded into blackness before disappearing.

"None of this is real…" she parroted Steven. A genuine smile made its way across Steven's lips, but Jasper kept a scowl. If Steven was here, then outside her head, the Crystal Gems were surely waiting. She couldn't wrap her head around it. After everything she did to them, they still wanted to help her. They knew that there was no chance she could go back to Homeworld if she had become corrupted. At least, that's what she remembered. She wasn't sure of anything right now. Even Steven could be a figment of her imagination.

Coincidently, with that thought, Steven had begun fading away. The duo both looked surprised and even a bit fearful.

"Oh no! Jasper, I'm waking up! You have to do that too! Wake up!"

Jasper frantically looked around, searching for literally anything that could help her. She found no such respite.

"How?!" she screamed at him.

"Follow the music!" he got out before he was taken out of Jasper's dream and put right back on the beach.

OoOoO

Steven woke up with a loud gasp, and all the gems ran over immediately to make sure he was ok. While he appreciated the sentiment, this wasn't the time for a lovefest. He escaped their grasps and shouted to Sam, who was still playing her song.

"Sam! You have to play something else! Something to make Jasper wake up before anything else happens to her!"

Sam got a bit flustered and scrambled to think of something that wouldn't hurt. She settled on something complicated, something that required thought, something that demanded attention.

"I'll try some jazz stuff in Locrian, but no promises, Universe."

While she adjusted her playing, Steven ran over and got a better look at Jasper. No longer was she some abomination, some monstrous beast, she was just Jasper. Well, except for some blue and pink that covered most of her left arm and part of her cheek. But it was at least a marked improvement. Maybe this would work after all.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked, he saw it was alabaster and delicate. Pearl.

"You did wonderfully, Steven… I'm not quite sure how you did it, but… Well, look at her! We've never healed a corruption this well before. Rose never even came close to this!"

Steven sighed. "I'll bet not…" So many thoughts were running through his head. Was his mother actually that cruel? Could she have done anything like that or was it just how Jasper saw Rose Quartz? It wasn't a fun thought to have. He did his best to put the thought aside, and though he was successful in doing so, he knew it would return eventually.

All the gems' eyes were on either Sam or Jasper. The air was thick with tension and uncertainty. Though he did his best, even Steven didn't know for sure if Jasper could make it back. He wanted to go back in, but Garnet insisted that he stay awake. She didn't want to risk Steven getting corrupted as well. Nobody was entirely sure how corruption worked, so it seemed like an actual risk, and none of the gems were willing to let Steven take it.

Hours passed slowly and quietly. Nobody was much in the mood to talk. Sam especially was almost past the point where her improvisational skills would be able to help her. She may as well have been putting on a concert, because that's certainly what it felt like. But she didn't want to let the gems down, so she continued even past the point where the strings were breaking the skin on her fingers.

Pearl had given up hope at this point. Jasper wasn't waking up, no amount of music would do the trick. She expressed this sentiment and Amethyst agreed with her. It seemed like a lost cause. Garnet and Peridot disagreed, saying that corruption wasn't fully understood and they should give it more time. Steven remained silent, moving closer to Jasper. The gems kept arguing and didn't notice.

He sat next to the large quartz gem, remembering everything that happened in the dreamscape. He hoped he helped her, he just wasn't sure.

"Jasper, please come back to us… You're not bad, I know you're not… You just miss your Diamond and want to go home… We understand that, we want to help you in any way we can… Just don't give up…"

As a last ditch effort, he licked his palm and placed it on Jasper's nose. As soon as his skin made contact with the gem, a large orange hand shot up and grabbed him by the wrist. Steven stared at Jasper, whose yellow eyes met his gaze.

A familiar raspy voice spoke out.

"You…"


End file.
